VA Mother's Day One-Shot Compilation
by VA10thanniversaryproject
Summary: To celebrate Mother's Day and the 10th Anniversary of Vampire Academy, a small group of avid VA fandom writers have teamed up to create a collection of one-shots based on our favourite VA mothers and mother figures.
1. Introduction

To celebrate Mother's Day and the 10-year anniversary of Vampire Academy,  
this collection of one-shots is a tribute to VA mothers and mother figures.

Each chapter is written by a different author so please remember to leave a REVIEW at the end of each short-story.  
If you like a story, feel free to check out the author's other works (links provided on our profile page).

There are four more collaborations coming up throughout the year, so click favourite/follow to receive the alerts.

A big thank you to all of the authors who have contributed to this project.  
We also thank Richelle Mead for creating the VA world/characters we have borrowed in our stories.  
As always, all rights belong to her.

Happy Mother's Day and Happy Reading!

* * *

 **1.** **To Sunsets and Sunrises** (by TheCoffeeShopMuse)  
It's Mother's Day, and as Rose plans her gift, Janine reflects on the past. As she struggles with the whole idea of motherhood, Abe, of course, is there for her.

 **2.** **Bite the Bullet** (by Roza-Dimka-Reader)  
Set after The Ruby Circle. Rose struggles with revealing her special news to her mother…what she doesn't expect is that Janine is hiding a secret of her own.

 **3.** **My Beautiful Baby Boy** (by PrincessAnastasiaBelikov)  
Dimitri is getting ready to start high school when he learns that his eldest sister, Karolina, is pregnant. Judgement is high in Baia and Karolina is struggling with what she will do.

 **4.** **Hard Choices** (by overworkedandunderpaid)  
Janine is invited to a Mother's Day dinner with the Belikov's and reveals to Rose the truth about the distance between them. Post LS.

 **5.** **The Closest Thing** (by Llaria6)  
Alberta has a special connection with Rose, but how will she handle the situation when Rose and Lissa go missing from St. Vladimir's? Set immediately before VA Book 1.

 **6\. The New Normal** (by Gigi256)  
"Your family wanted me to stay." "You probably should have," he said softly, "You might have been happy there."

 **7\. Mother's Day Extravaganza** (by NB313)  
Rose and the gang are in Court together for the first time since the Monarch elections (15 years ago). The men and the kids take the opportunity to put on a show for the special women in their lives – their mums!


	2. To Sunsets and Sunrises

**Story Title:** To Sunsets and Sunrises

 **Author:** TheCoffeeShopMuse

 **Background:** It's Mother's Day, and as Rose plans her gift, Janine reflects on the past. As she struggles with the whole idea of motherhood, Abe, of course, is there for her.

* * *

Rose remembers her first Mother's Day, very well. She had worked so hard on her gift, a drawing of her and her mommy, along with a clay ornament with her tiny handprints embedded on them.

" _You sure Mommy will like them, Albertie?" Little five year old Rose had asked the Guardian, looking up to her with large doe eyes filled with innocence._

 _The wise woman smiled a fond smile down at the little girl she had been tasked with taking care of. "Of course dear, I'm sure she'll be here soon to see them, and she'll love them."_

 _Weeks ago, Alberta had contacted Janine, asking her if she had some leave available so she could come down to the academy and spend the weekend with Rose._

 _Of course, the young Guardian had readily agreed, eager to see her daughter after such a long time apart. Rose was ecstatic when Alberta had told her the news, and it just warmed the guardian's heart to watch the little girl, brow furrowed in deep concentration as she struggled to draw her mommy the best picture._

 _And hours before she was due to arrive, Janine got cold feet._

" _I just-I just can't Alberta. It's been a rough couple of days, please tell Rose I'm sorry, and I love her. Next year, perhaps."_

 _And so Alberta told the little girl, and watched as her little face fell and her tiny shoulders sagged._

 _The guardian's heart just about broke as she comforted the distraught child. "Next year, Rose, next year."_

 _But Janine wasn't there to pick up her macaroni necklace._

 _Or the flower crown the year after that._

 _Or the little clay vase the year after that._

 _And that was the last straw._

" _Rose," Alert knelt down, gently grasping the stoney-faced child's shoulders. "I'm so sorry, but your mommy is really busy and-"_

" _No! You don't hafta lie to me Alberta!" The now eight year old angrily wiped away the traitor tears leaking from her eyes. "I know, I know mom doesn't care about me enough. She doesn't love me, and she doesn't care!" She got out before shoving the vase at the guardian and taking down the hall, running to the sanctuary of her own room, where no one could see her tears._

But that was more than a decade ago, and things had changed.

For the better, much better.

Rose smiled as her husband rolled over in their bed, still half-asleep, muttering something in Russian before wrapping an arm around her abdomen.

She laced their hands together.

She hope Janine would like this year's gift.

* * *

"Mama, please," Dimitri practically begged. "Sit down and relax. The place is spotless, today is about you. You don't have to clean or do anything."

Olena flushed lightly. "In Russia, Mother's Day has already passed. The gift you sent me was more than enough," she said, thinking back to the nice cashmere scarf Rose and Dimitri had sent her, picked up in Scotland from their travels.

"But we weren't there to celebrate with you, Olena. Think of this as a second Mother's Day for you. No one deserves it more." Her new daughter smiled as she entered the sitting room, taking a seat next to her and giving her a big hug as a greeting.

Olena returned the hug warmly. "That's not necessary, Roza. But thank you. Are you sure you wouldn't rather have lunch here at home? I can fix something-"

"No, Mama." Dimitri insisted. "No one is more deserving of a celebration lunch."

"Besides, you've spoiled us with your cooking since you've been here," Rose patted her stomach, thinking back to the scrumptious roast dinner her mother-in-law had made last night. "Let us treat you."

"This is one of the nicest restaurants at Court, Mama. But not stuffy," he added quickly, seeing the worried look on his Mama's face. "Just enjoy it."

"And your parents will be there too, dear?" Olena asked Rose.

"Yes, both Abe and Mom are going to be there," Rose nodded. "Abe got us the table."

Of course.

A barrage of Russian could be heard approaching from the stairs, as the Belikov sisters all materialized in the doorway.

"Happy Mother's Day, Mama!"

"You all know very well we've already celebrated Mother's Day."

"Yeah, but this is American Mother's Day, mama," Viktoria's eyes sparkled.

"And were visiting America, so we must celebrate!" Karolina added, hugging her mama fiercely.

"Plus, I never say no to a free fancy meal!"

"Sonya!"

"I'm kidding!" The second eldest Belikov sister held her hands up defensively. "Mostly..."

Rose laughed from her place on the couch. "I totally agree, Sonya."

* * *

There was always something in her unconscious mind that wakes her up early on this holiday, usually in the wee hours of the morning, before the sunset, signalling the beginning of a Moroi day. Of course, being a guardian, she has never been one to rely on a lot of sleep, but every year on this special day, she's exhausted, physically and emotionally, since she usually took to the gym the night before this day, beating a poor punching bag to oblivion.

This has become a tradition for her. Her mind just conjures up all the memories, regrets, and shitty childhood memories, and shoves them to the forefront of her mind. Not to mention her own failures as a mother.

Today, Mother's Day, has always been hard for Janine Hathaway; even now, well into her forties. She can't even remember a good Mother's Day in her entire childhood, and that cast a shadow on the whole day from there on out. For Janine, as a child, Mother's Days were always marked with disappointment and tears. Of course, it just wasn't possible to escape the advertisements luring in children to buy flowers, cards, or candy for "best mom ever," even in her little Scottish village next to Glasgow. School was worse for the little girl. Even at her academy, the Guardians looking after the elementary school kids insisted on creating Mother's Day projects. While all the other children were trying their hardest, carefully crafting little paper hearts, drawings, and macaroni necklaces, Janine was the only child to sit there in her seat, wallowing in sadness. She knew whatever she created would not be good enough for the woman who gave birth to her.

Oh, Janine had a mom, but she certainly wasn't the "best mom ever." She was just another young dhampir woman, charmed by a young Moroi man who ran as soon as she became with child. Bitter that she "gave up her career and wasted the best years of her life" on raising a child, she took these feelings of regret out on her only child. From a young age, Janine knew that she was not wanted, that she was only an inconvenience for the woman who begrudgingly raised her. Janine knew all her mother's tirades by heart from a tender young age. From the time she had been a toddler, she knew that she was "never supposed to happen," and that, "we had taken precautions to make sure mistakes like you wouldn't happen." However, "life's a bitch," and "shit happens and I got stuck with a you." Furthermore, "he would have stayed if it weren't for you, we could have been happy," and "my life ended the day you were born. It's all your fault." Of course, what toddler would understand this? It was only when she grew older, Janine understood. She knew that if it was possible, her mother would have given her up in a heartbeat. Despite this abuse, her mother had the gall to expect love and gifts on Mother's Day. Of course, since she had never taught her daughter to love, Janine had no idea how to offer this love. She had no money to buy something, and her mother was never appreciated the crafts that Janine made at school. One year, eight year old Janine had attempted to create a bouquet, using flowers from their neighbor's garden (with the nice, elderly neighbor's permission of course, she thought it was a really sweet thing for the child to do). However, that endeavor ended in a severe spanking, as Janine ("you stupid, stupid child!") had "ruined her only good clothes digging through that filthy dirt."

The flowers had been thrown out the window in rage.

After that, Janine never attempted another Mother's Day gift. The day only brought more misery upon both mother and daughter.

Now, on the day of Mother's Day, Janine sat on her little terrace in her room, watching the sun dip below the horizon, before a knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.

She smiled slightly. Only one person would come visit her at this time of day.

"Come in, Ibrahim."

He frowns as he comes into the room, studying the woman who captured his heart all those years ago.

"You haven't slept well."

She laughs softly. "Do I ever on this day?"

"You could...if you'd let yourself."

Janine sighed, clenching her eyes shut. "Ibrahim, of all people should know it's not that simple for me.

"I'm sorry, Janine." He mumbled as he took a seat next to her, pressing a kiss into the auburn curls he loved so much. Then he took her hand, laced their fingers together, and sat in comfortable silence with her.

It wouldn't be until she was 10 that Janine would be free from her mother. By that age the young girl had endured enough neglect, that she had become quite independent, able to, and quite preferring to, live at the academy full time. For the majority of her studies, Janine endured alone. She had people she would consider friends, but never let them close enough to be considered good friends, close enough to hurt her. After graduating at the top of her class, she accepted a position with a young Badica, a nice enough Moroi with whom she was acquaintances. Janine had never felt more proud. She managed to cut her mother out of her life, and secure a good charge. Still, she wasn't happy.

Until she met Abe.

She was with her charge, visiting Moscow, when they met. Of course, he was there for "business." If it weren't for her charge meeting up with a friend, who then brought Abe along as a plus one, then they probably would never have met...and her life would not have changed for the better.

He noticed her red curls first, admiring how sleek they looked. Then he noticed her small stature, with great amusement. "You looked as if I could pick you up with one hand!" He laughed with glee, as he told her one lazy night in bed, months into their courtship.

She should have been afraid of him and his world. She should have ran the other way the moment he introduced himself, but she couldn't. Soon, she found themselves talking more, and accepting his lunch invitations, where they would eat at their own private table. When she was on duty, sometimes he would surprise her with a takeaway picnic. He was thoughtful and kind, which always impressed her, since men of his kind didn't have the most stellar reputations. But Abe was different. There was nothing dangerous about Abe, except for maybe his dangerously charming smile that always made her go weak in the knees. It always amazed her how he could go from "business man" to a relaxed but demanding boss, to a sweet boyfriend with her.

Abe looked around at the world, and he saw opportunity. He looked at various different, but important aspects of the Moroi world, and capitalized on that, for better or for worse was up for discussion. But more importantly, he looked at her and saw beyond the scars. He saw hope within her. He ignored the Janine's initial cold gaze, and tried to see into her thoughts. He ignored the way she would cross her arms defensively, not letting anyone in, and tried to see into her heart. And in the meantime, he fought his way into her soul.

For a year they were deliriously happy, twelve months of pure bliss.

And then Janine got pregnant.

And she ran.

"I'm so stupid. I've been so stupid." She broke the silence.

Abe frowned. "Janine-"

"We were so happy Ibrahim. Both so deliriously happy with each other and with our love, but I ruined it. That woman is no longer part of my life, but she still haunts me, and I let her!"

Abe stays silent. He knows this. He knows about the abuse she suffered as a child. He knows how she never really talked about it with anyone. He knows she still holds a lot within herself. He knows it all, and he tries to help her slowly forget about the woman she called mom, to look forward. He knows, and he does this because he loves her.

"Your mother, my dear? You know she can't bother you anymore."

"She still bothers me," she reminds him. "It scares me, the hold she still has in me after all these years."

"Janine, my dear, you have no reason to be scared." He moves his hand up my body, to my face, and cups my cheek. "You know that I would never let anyone hurt you again. You know that you would never let anyone hurt you, again. That's not he distinguished Guardian Hathaway I know." He says powerfully, shooting me a heart melting smile afterward.

"I know," she sighs. "It's just...I guess...the thought of me becoming her is more terrifying to me than anything else. God, I was half way there Ibrahim! Dumping our child at the academy, not being there for her, years with out contact! For heavens sake, there was a time where Rose couldn't even bear to see me. I-I let the fear of becoming my mother alienate me from our daughter, ironically nearly becoming her in the process! I-"

He moves closer and presses two fingers over my lips. "Shh. Come here."

She obediently moves into his arms. He pulls her tiny body to his, pressing an affectionate kiss to her lips. "Janine, I was smitten with you the moment I saw you. When we started going out, within the first official date, I knew that you were the one for me. I knew I wanted it all with you, a home, a family, a life. I really was, my dear, and fuck all those who were, and still are, too narrow minded to see past our mere differences in biology, to accept our love.

"Yes, but mucked that up perfectly didn't I?"

He interrupts her with another loving kiss. "No." he demands gently. "I know you have regrets over our past, over your not-so-pleasant past with our dear little spawn. But I also know that you came back to me, and you reached out to Rose and were there for her. You rebuilt your relationship with her. And that was all you. You're so stubborn and hard-headed, but you can also be so loving, so kind.

"But I've made so many mistakes," Janine sighs. "So many, especially when it comes to Rose."

He presses a kiss to my forehead. "Ah, but you acknowledge them. You have fixed them. No one goes through life being perfect, trust me. It's okay to make mistakes, especially parents. Being a mother is about loving your children unconditionally. I know you love Rose, even if you've had odd ways of showing it." He grins as she looks abashed.

"Janine," he continues, "yes, you've made mistake. But you've been given a second chance. Every moment you spend with Rose, you're proving you are not like her. You are better than that woman. I know still hang on to a lot if hurt and resentment. That's perfectly fine. In fact, it gives you good motivation. Turn your anger at her into motivation, so you can do better for Rose, because we have the chance to. We can't change the past, we can only change the future. And you've been doing a wonderful job with that. I love you so very much, even if she doesn't say it much, our daughter loves you very much. You are not that woman. You are Janine Hathaway. My Janine. My dear. My love. Mother of my progeny." Abe grins as Janine slaps him playfully for that last comment.

He continues. "Let it end. Let it the memories of your mother burn away. Let the sun set on that part of your life. It's all over now."

Let the sun set.

"After the sunset comes the darkness of night." She reminds him.

"And after the darkness comes the light again. The sunrise" he continues flawlessly. "You let the sun set on your mother and that part of your life when you left. The darkness only came when you were chained to her memory, unable to leave her behind. But now the sun is rising. We're together again, and we've been given a second chance to be better parents to our daughter. And the sun needs to rise, we've all been through so much. You've let her shadow cloud your sun for too long. Let the sun shine on the future, and leave your doubts, cast them away. You're a better person than That woman will ever be. You're capable of being a better mother than your own. You deserve to live in the sunrise and look towards to a new day."

Surprisingly, tears filled the formidable Guardian Janine Hathaway's eyes. "Thank you, Ibrahim. For having so much faith in me. For loving me. For believing in us."

"Of course my love." He responds, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Now, come with me."

"What? Why?" Her eyes narrow suspiciously.

"Because you're coming with me, back to my room, where we can get a few more hours of rest before our darling daughter dazzles us with her presence."

"Rose is coming over?"

"For a Mother's Day surprise!" Abe hurried as he caught Janine's exasperated face. "Yes, yes we all know just how much you love surprises. But hush, no protests from you today. It is your day, after all!"

* * *

"Happy Mother's Day!" Rose, Dimitri, Abe, and the Belikova sisters chorused enthusiastically, with Rose and Dimitri producing matching gift bags, handing them to their respective mothers.

Lunch was going exceedingly well, with the two families mingling perfectly with one another. Abe had managed to book the group not just their own table, but their own private room instead, allowing for conversations from prying eyes.

Olena and Janine exchanged a look, partly surprised, partly pleased.

"Oh, you guys really shouldn't have," Olena started.

"This lovely lunch was enough," Janine finished.

Everyone else rolled their eyes.

"Mama, please. Just open the gift!" Karolina said.

"Yeah! Rose and Dimitri have been so secretive about the whole thing, they won't tell us!" Viktoria added.

"No matter how annoyingly we whine or nag them about it." Sonya smirked.

The couple in question said nothing, though they exchanged an unreadable look with one another.

"Ladies, please," Abe nodded coolly. Even though on the inside he was burning with curiosity as well. Rose wouldn't let him see the gift, no matter how hard he tried! He wanted to know damnit!

Obliging everybody, the two women began to dig through the tissue paper, both pulling out...

A rather nice, gold photo frame.

But it was the picture it held that was the gift.

The photo was of Rose and Dimitri, both grinning widely. Dimitri's arms were wrapped around Rose, while she was leaning comfortably back into him. They both held hand made signs. Her's in English. His in Cyrillic writing, but they both contained the same message.

 _Happy Mother's Day. You're going to be a grandma!_

The response was instantaneous. Olena shrieked happily. Janine went completely silent. The Belikova's after seeing the photo as well, started squealing joyfully. Abe rubbed his hands together, looking excited.

"Ah, the next generation of spawn. How exciting."

Olena was currently blubbering in Dimitri's arms, his sisters chattering on excitedly around them.

"Mom?" Janine blinked, then turned to her daughter, who was looking at her warily.

"Are you okay? Did you like the gift - woah!" Rose stumbled back a bit as her mom launched herself into her arms, hugging her daughter tightly.

"You're going to want to start taking prenatal vitamins. And upping your fruit and vegetable intake. And maybe your proteins too. I mean, it's just that when I was pregnant with you, the doctor was worried about my iron levels, so some lean protein is perfectly fine. Oh, and are you experiencing any morning sickness yet? I have a remedy for that, an old Scottish traditional drink and -"

"Mom, mom," Rose laughed, stunned. "Slow down. We have all the time in the world for you to impart some pregnancy advice on me, and you too Olena," Rose added, glancing at her mother in law. "And I will gladly accept them. Especially the morning sickness remedy."

"Rose is right. For now," Abe raised his glass, "let us toast. To the new parents. To the next generation!"

The rest of the party heartily chorused back with Abe, the joy and excitement tangible in the room.

The Belikova sisters now took this chance to swarm around Rose, asking her question after question, while Olena chattered on excitedly with her son.

Janine, lost in her thoughts about her own pregnancy, was surprised with Abe wrapped an arm around her, though she responded in kind.

He smiled at her, his eyes briefly flickering to his overwhelmed looking daughter, back to his love."

"To sun rises, my love."


	3. Bite the Bullet

**Story Title:** Bite the Bullet

 **Author:** Roza-Dimka-Reader

 **Background:** Set after The Ruby Circle. Rose struggles with revealing her special news to her mother…what she doesn't expect is that Janine is hiding a secret of her own.

* * *

I awoke to the sound of someone moving around in the kitchen. The mere thought made my stomach growl and my mouth start filling with saliva. Realising I was probably drooling onto my pillow, I wiped my mouth before collapsing back against the mattress.

"Hmm…" I stretched my stiff muscles before snuggling further down into the warmth of the blankets. Footsteps sounded closer than before. I waited in blissful anticipation for his entrance.

"I don't know why you even bother setting an alarm."

His voice ran over my skin like warm honey, his accent causing goosebumps to appear down my arms. A smile spread over my face as I heard him approach my side of the bed.

"Morning," I mumbled, keeping my eyes firmly shut. One of my arms groped the cold air until it came into contact with his stomach. I felt his body vibrate slightly as a warm laugh escaped his mouth.

Smiling at the wonderful sound, I allowed one of my eyes to open. The sight before me was one I didn't think I would ever get used to: Dimitri was hovering over me, shirtless and smiling. It wasn't just a regular smile – it was one of those smiles that he seemed to save just for me, the kind that made my legs feel weak.

"Good morning," he replied, reaching out and catching my hand that was trailing down his body. He acted oblivious to the effect he was having on me. "Maybe it's time to get up?"

"I don't want to," I grumbled, burying my head into the pillow. Another laugh.

He then bent down and pressed a kiss to my temple. "Come on. I made breakfast."

Damn that man. He knew there was only one way to my heart…and that way was bacon.

Mustering up some courage, I swung my legs out of the warm bed and winced at the cold air that attacked my bare skin. With a shudder, I grabbed the duvet and dragged it with me out of the bedroom.

Dimitri didn't look at me as I curled up on the couch but I knew by the way he shook his head in amused exasperation that he had seen me.

"That," he started, carrying a plateful of food from the kitchen, "Is not what I had in mind when I said it was time to get up."

"I got out of bed, didn't I?"

Dimitri knew me well enough by now to know he had to pick his battles. He slid the plate into my outstretched hands and I suddenly lost all concentration on anything but the hot food in front of me. I realised Dimitri must have left the room at some point because when I polished off the last of my bacon, he was already dressed. Damn.

He walked toward me, all traces of his previous humour gone. I looked down at the empty plate in my lap, refusing to meet his gaze. He sat down on the coffee table in front of me.

"You're going to be late."

"I'm not working today."

"Rose…" I didn't have to look at him to know he was frustrated. It was evident from his sigh. "That's not what I was talking about and you know it."

"Why do I have to go?" I groaned. Suddenly feeling too warm, I flung the duvet off me and began pacing. "It's not like today means anything to either of us!"

I braved a glance at his face and instantly regretted it upon seeing the frown resting there. I hated when he looked at me disapprovingly.

"Stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?" He stood and moved closer. I crossed my arms.

"Like I'm still you're student!"

"You know that's not what I'm doing." Dimitri sighed, taking one of my minds in his. "If you're that worried about this, I can come with you."

"No, no, it's okay." I shook my head. I was being stupid. "I should do this alone. I'll be fine."

I could see in his eyes that he wanted to support me, but he also knew that given this particular situation, I needed to do this alone. I washed my dish in silence, before hurrying to get dressed. Dimitri moved about the apartment, getting ready for his day shift. We left together, walking the short distance to Court's guardian headquarters. With a quick kiss, he bade me goodbye and good luck before heading inside. Groaning inwardly, I forced my feet to move forward. The knot in my stomach grew bigger and tighter with every passing minute, making me feel as though I wanted to empty out its contents.

Come on, Rose, pull yourself together, I chastised myself. I was Rose freaking Hathaway. I wasn't afraid of anything…or anyone…

Except for maybe my mother.

"Damnit," I muttered, seeing my destination looming ahead of me. Every part of me wanted to turn on the spot and walk the opposite direction. But I couldn't. This was the first time I had seen my mother on Mother's Day for...I didn't even know how long. I hadn't seen her while I was at the Academy, that was for sure. And the past year I had spent at Court, she had been away in Europe with her charge. Our relationship had improved in recent years of course, both of us understanding more about one another.

But that didn't mean the woman didn't scare me.

"Okay." I took a deep breath at the door of the gym before pushing it open. There was no need to stand outside overthinking it. Time to just rip off the band-aid.

Except after a quick scan of the room, I didn't see her red hair anywhere. Confused, I took a few more steps forward. There were guardians here of course – Court's gym seemed to always be occupied, regardless of the time – but not my mother.

I took a deep breath and tried to relax my tense muscles. She was late. That was okay…more than okay, really. It gave me time to try and organise my thoughts.

Twenty minutes later I had almost finished my warm-up and there was still no sign of Janine Hathaway. Had she forgotten? Surely she couldn't have made that many plans for Mother's Day. She was leaving for Europe tomorrow morning so our time together was limited. Perhaps she had mixed up the time we had agreed to train together.

I sighed out loud. It was times like this that made me wish I owned a cell phone.

Figuring she would probably show up sooner or later, I decided to start my workout. The weather was pretty nice this time of year so I opted for the outdoor running track and began my laps. Normally my training was a good de-stressor, but I found myself on edge the whole time I ran, only becoming more and more worked up with each lap. I was just about to give up and return home for a shower when her familiar face appeared at the doorway of the gym.

"Mom?"

She was evidently flustered as her eyes found mine. As she neared me, I saw signs of distress on her weathered face.

"What's the matter?" I hurried towards her, concerned. It wasn't often that I saw my mother anything other than her professional self, especially in public.

"Nothing." She brushed non-existent dirt from her clothes. "Were you leaving?"

"Well, yeah." I wasn't convinced by her excuse – or lack thereof – for being late. "I promised Lissa I'd see her after we trained."

"Go to the Queen if she needs you," my mom insisted, unsurprisingly. Her loyalty to the Moroi would never change, even if the world around us was. "I'm sorry I'm late…I was at a meeting."

"That's okay." My gym bag was beginning to weigh heavily on my shoulder. I shifted it to my other side. "Next time, then?"

"Of course."

A slightly awkward silence hung between us then. Yes, my relationship with my mom had improved drastically in the last couple of years, but still neither of us were quite sure how to act around each other – in particular with goodbyes. I waited for a moment, studying her. She shifted uncomfortably, as if deciding whether to say something. When she didn't, I broke the silence.

"Would you like to get dinner later?" I realised then that this was probably our first ever Mother's Day we had spent together. Knowing my mom, it had already crossed her mind. She, of course, showed no sign that the thought had affected her. Her brief lack of composure on arrival to the gym had been short-lived – there was no sign of her being flustered now.

"That sounds great, Rose." She gave me a small nod. I wasn't sure, but I thought I heard relief lacing her words. "Does 7 o'clock suit?"

"That's perfect."

I left the gym to head home for a quick shower before changing clothes and making my way to Lissa's office. I wasn't rostered for duty today but it wasn't like that changed anything. I spent almost every day with Lissa, except for on the rare occasions that Dimitri and I both got the same days off. I didn't mind. Besides, Christian spent most of his time with Lissa too…which meant Dimitri was there, too. It was a win-win situation.

That didn't mean I didn't prefer spending one on one time with Dimitri, which happened a lot too – most nights, actually. We weren't married, which meant we each had our own one-bedroom apartment according to the rules for room allocation. I struggled to recall a time when we had spent the night separately – apart from nights that Lissa and I stayed at university or one of us had a night shift.

Not that I was complaining. I didn't think I'd ever get enough of that man.

As I had anticipated, Christian and Dimitri were sitting with Lissa in her office upon my arrival. Dimitri didn't react upon my entrance – at least, nothing that anybody would have noticed. He was on duty so his face remained expressionless, but I did notice the softening in his eyes as they met mine. They turned questioning, and I averted my gaze.

"Hey, Rose," Lissa greeted me.

"Hey." I threw myself down on the chair nearest her, earning myself a dirty look from Christian as my elbow hit him on the way.

"Did you tell-"

"Nope," I cut her off. "And I don't want to talk about it right now." I discreetly glanced at the other guardians who lined the wall of her large office. Lissa took the hint. She changed the subject to other matters – royal crap that didn't really seem that important to me but probably were for her, being Queen and all. It was her job to worry over stuff I didn't care about.

I didn't meet Dimitri's eyes the whole time I was there, but I felt his curious gaze on me nonetheless. Before leaving, I glanced at him – there was a small frown on his face, creating a line between his eyebrows. I paused, wondering what had caused the change.

As if sensing my question, he lifted his head. I started at the emotion there. He looked hurt. Slowly, his eyes trailed down to my left hand, which dangled by my side. Realisation sank in, creating a knot in my stomach. Self-consciously, I trailed my fingers over my bare hand. I couldn't leave him distracted for the rest of his shift so guardian protocol or not, I approached him and wrapped my arms around him.

"I didn't tell her, it wasn't the right time," I whispered into his ear. "But she's meeting me later. I'll wear it then." I pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, still aware that he was on duty, and returned to my spot on the sofa.

"You really didn't have to come with me."

I saw a small, amused smile tug at his lips. Clearly Dimitri didn't share my fears about what we were about to do. Taking down a Strigoi? I could do that without missing a beat. Having dinner with my mom? That was a different story.

"I know," he replied, holding the door of our chosen restaurant open for me. "But this is our news to share. Why not do it together?"

"You just want to make sure I actually tell her before she leaves town."

"That, too."

A smile of my own graced my lips. I couldn't help it – Dimitri's lack of uneasiness soothed my butterfly-filled stomach. I was about to come up with some witty remark when a bright flash of colour caught the corner of my eye.

"Oh dear God, no…"

Dimitri's confused expression quickly turned to one of understanding, and I thought just for one quick moment that I saw a flash of apprehension in his eyes, before returning to its previously relaxed state. I, on the other hand, could practically feel my blood pressure rising.

"Let's bail." I turned on my heel and began heading for the exit. Before even getting two steps away, Dimitri's hand had gripped mine and pulled me back to his side.

"You can do this," he said, his thumb rubbed soothing circles on the back of mine. "It's just your parents."

I gaped at him. "Just my parents?!"

"You know what I mean."

"I know that my mother can decapitate just about anyone and that my father is tied up in God only knows how many illegal activities. Is that what you mean?"

Dimitri didn't grace my sarcastic remark with a comment, but instead tightened his grip on my hand and led me to the table where my parents – both of them – were already seated.

"Dimitri." My father held his hand out to shake Dimitri's, seemingly the first to see us, though I knew that wasn't the case. My mother's guardian-trained eyes would have noticed us the second we walked through the door. She seemed to be finding it difficult to make eye contact with me. I thought back to her odd behaviour earlier in the day. My stomach lurched. Did she already know?

"Rose, my beautifully dangerous daughter." Abe's eyes glinted with mischief. I stopped worrying about my mother momentarily to wonder how on earth I could have overlooked my resemblance to my father while in Russia. The more time I had spent around him, the more I found it blatantly obvious that we were related.

"I didn't know you were in town," I replied, taking the seat across from my mother. Dimitri sat next to me.

"It's nice to see you, too." Abe smirked, acting oblivious to my annoyance. "Besides, I'm only here until tomorrow morning."

"You don't think you could have told me you were here? I would've thought you'd want to spend some time with your favourite daughter."

"Well, that's not exactly why I-"

"Ibrahim!" My mother cut him off with a glare, speaking for the first time since our arrival. She made a point of turning to Dimitri. "How have you been, Dimitri?"

He cleared his throat before answering, choosing to ignore the tension between my parents. "I've been good, thank you. And you?"

"Good."

I was so engrossed in studying my mother's awkward body language that I almost didn't notice our server arriving to take our order.

The conversation was light as we waited for our food. I sipped my water, lost in thoughts of how on earth I would break my news to the scariest people in the world.

You can do this, I told myself as our food arrived, trying to muster up some courage. Bite the bullet and everything will be out in the open.

"Dimitri and I are-"

So, we have some-"

My mother and I glanced at each other as we spoke at the same time. I gulped and forced a small smile onto my face as I felt my courage drain away.

"Go ahead," she nodded. Her demeanour reminded me of the rare occasions we'd been in a guardian meeting together. She looked as though she was expecting to hear a guardian tactic suggestion.

"We," I began, indicating to Dimitri and myself. He gave my leg a squeeze of reassurance under the table. His touch gave me the final bit of confidence I needed to make my announcement. "Have decided to get married."

My parent's reactions were quite similar to how I imagined. My mother paled, while Abe sat there, expressionless…although a deathly glint shone in his eyes when he looked towards Dimitri. I was grateful Dimitri was intelligent enough to know not to speak while they processed our news.

"Married?" My mother spoke as if it was a dirty word. Unsurprisingly, she didn't seem to like the idea. I felt the last of my nerves disappear as I took Dimitri's hand in my own, suddenly feeling strength in my resolution and for the first time since he had proposed to me, I realised my desire to marry Dimitri was as strong as his. Agreeing to an engagement had been a tough step for me, but I knew now without any hesitation that this was the right thing for me.

"Yes, married." My reply was blunt. I glanced between my parents, silently daring them to object.

Abe remained silent, his face calculating while my mother looked as though she was struggling to find words. Her views on marriage and commitment – at least to someone who wasn't a Moroi charge – weren't hard to piece together, based on the fact that she had shipped me off to be raised by the Academy while I was still a baby.

But I wasn't my mother.

"Why?" she asked finally.

I was preparing to answer her question with a sarcastic remark when Dimitri decided to speak up.

"Abe, Janine-" They had been on first name terms ever since the little 'hunting trip' that they had dragged Dimitri on months ago, despite my pleading at the time. "-I understand this is a shock to you both, and against all norms in our society. But I love your daughter more than she'll ever know. I want to show her how much she means to me by making her my wife and cherishing her every moment we are lucky enough to spend together."

Dimitri was approaching this logically and with a level head, as opposed to my method of forcing someone to agree with me. I decided that his approach may have been the better one in this particular scenario…just this once.

"Look, Mom." I spoke directly to her, figuring she'd be finding this difficult to understand. "We know people will talk. We know that people might judge us, but they already are! Dhampir relationships are scandalous enough, not to mention our specific past. We're already topical enough for the tabloids, so why not give them one more story? Who's it going to hurt?"

My mother looked from me to Dimitri, before returning her eyes to me again.

"I want you to protect your reputation."

"Bit late for that," I chucked, letting my smile slide off my face when she didn't look impressed. "Mom, I'm the Queen's main guardian. I think my reputation's safe. Besides, this-" I retrieved the beautiful engagement ring that Dimitri had given to me the previous week from my pocket and slipped it onto my finger. "-is worth so much more to me. I want this."

I took a little glee in the surprise on both of my parent's faces – that was a difficult reaction to get from either one of them alone, nevermind both at the same time. Ten points to Rose.

"That's some ring," my father noted, seemingly impressed. I smiled and admired the glittering jewel on my finger.

"I asked for a rockstar ring," I couldn't help but grin at the smile that rested on Dimitri's face. "He doesn't mess around." His eyes were locked on mine and I could practically feel his love for me spilling out of him. I wanted nothing more than to grab his face and kiss him, but somehow I didn't think my parents – or anyone else in the restaurant for that matter – would appreciate it.

I cleared my throat and turned my attention back to my parents. Abe was looking a little less like he wanted to kill Dimitri, which I took as a good sign. My mother still looked apprehensive however.

"I'm not happy about this," she stated curtly. "But it's not my decision to make. I can see that you both want this and-" She took a deep breath. "I think I can be happy for you."

I absorbed my shock while Dimitri shook my parent's hands. Had I really been worked up all day about this? I had expected much worse.

"Thanks," I managed eventually, giving both of them a smile. "We're happy too." Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. "Oh, hey, didn't you want to tell us something?"

My mother quickly shook her head. "No, that's okay. It can wait." Abe looked less than pleased at her denial.

"Please. Tell us." I felt the knot returning to my stomach as my mother shifted uncomfortably. Had something bad happened? I watched her more closely. My mother seemed nervous, which was an odd emotion for her to express.

Impossible, I said to myself. Janine Hathaway doesn't get nervous.

And yet, my dhampir eyes watched the bead of sweat hiding near her hairline. Her muscles were taut with tension. Suddenly, my news didn't seem like such a big deal.

"What is it?" I lowered my voice to avoid being heard by others in the restaurant. I had never seen my mother in as bad a state as this. "What's wrong?"

Quickly I glanced back at my father, who was looking as indifferent as ever. I relaxed ever so slightly…but then I saw it. The small mischievous smirk, the gleam of delight in his eyes – Abe was excited.

"Oh my God, who did you kill?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dimitri's head snap to look at me. My mother, too, looked shocked. Abe on the other hand laughed with glee, clearly amused by my assumption.

"What are you talking about?" My mother asked, glancing between Abe and I. My father leaned back in his seat, watching me with that same glint in his eye.

"Nothing," I replied, sending Abe a glare before turning back to my mother. "What were you going to tell us?"

She took a depth breath before looking at me, determination evident in her eyes. "Your father and I…" Another deep breath. "Have decided to continue where we left off."

I stared at her blankly. Beside me, Dimitri was silent. Whether he was processing what my mother had just said too or was waiting for me to catch up with what was going on, I didn't know.

"I'm sorry, what?" I glanced between my mother and father again, hoping that I hadn't her correctly.

"Rosemarie, keep your voice down," she scolded me, casting a worried glance over her shoulder.

"Keep my voice down? Are you kidding me?!"

"Rose…" Dimitri's voice broke through my panicked stream of thoughts. I knew what he was doing – simultaneously trying to calm me while reminding me how well my parents had taken our news. That didn't mean I had to reciprocate the favour though.

"No." I shook my head.

"Rose, sit down."

I shot my father a glare. "Don't talk to me like a child."

"Then don't act like one."

"I have every right to act this way," I argued, grabbing my bag. Maybe I was being a little childish. But I couldn't help it. The idea of my parents together sent shivers down my spine. Before I knew it, I was heading for the door of the restaurant.

The cool air was refreshing. I took a few deep breaths and made my way back to my room. Figuring Dimitri wouldn't be too far behind me, I left the door unlocked. I had just climbed under the covers of my bed when I heard the door open.

"Rose?"

I mumbled an incoherent noise to let Dimitri know where I was. Moments later I felt the bed dip under his weight.

"What was that about?"

"Wha- How could you ask that?" I sat upright, causing the duvet to drop to my waist. "You heard them! They're…dating."

Dimitri just watched me, eyes wise and patient. I groaned in frustration.

"You don't get it! It's been over twenty years! Why now? They had decades to figure their crap out but they waited until now."

Dimitri's thumb started rubbing small circles into my hand as he processed my words thoughtfully.

"Why not now?" he replied. "I didn't think love had a sell-by date."

I shook my head. "That's not what I'm talking about."

I was surprised to feel tears spring to my eyes and hastily brushed them away with my free hand. Dimitri too, looked surprised at my sudden emotion.

"They sent me to the academy," I whispered, not trusting my voice. "They let me be raised by strangers because they decided staying together wasn't worth it."

Understanding lit up in his features as he finally put the pieces together.

"Rose," he said gently. "Times are changing. Thanks to Lissa, dhampirs are beginning to have more rights. Guardians can have relationships if they want to. Look at us. Isn't it a little hypocritical to tell your mother she can't be with your father after telling them we're getting married?"

He was right. I knew he was. I still found it odd to see them standing next to one another, never mind the thought of them together. I shuddered.

"It'll take some time but I'll just have to get used to it, I guess." My mother deserved to be happy. Back when I was still in the Academy and my mother had gifted me her nazaar, she had spoken of my father with emotion. She had loved him – something I had never considered until that point. If those feelings still remained, I of all people should know better than to stand between two people that loved each other.

A knock sounded on the door just as Dimitri pressed a kiss to my forehead. I suddenly felt a little embarrassed by how I had acted. My mother was on the other side of the door when I opened it.

"Where's Dad?"

"I told him I wanted to come alone." She looked mad. I didn't really blame her.

Dimitri excused himself as I invited my mother in.

"I'm sorry," I started before a fight could break out. She looked surprised by my apology. "I acted like a brat. If you and Abe want to be together, I'm not going to stand in your way."

I watched the tension drain from her body. She looked relieved that I was being reasonable for once.

"I expected to come here and fight with you."

"I know," I replied with a smirk. "See how much I've grown up?"

She watched me with careful appraisal. "You have. More than I realise sometimes."

We sat in silence for a little while. I was jolted out of my thoughts when her hand caught mine. I had unknowingly been twisting my engagement ring around my finger. My mother, as vigilant as ever, had noticed the movement. She studied the ring with a small smile.

"It suits you," she said eventually. I grinned at the large diamond. Dimitri had done well.

"I think that's the point," I laughed, admiring my glittering rock. "Dimitri's not really the flashy type." Silence ensued again.

"For what it's worth," I started, catching her hand. "I'm happy for you."

It wasn't often I saw my mother's features soften, but they did. "Thank you, Rose," she said.

In a rare moment of shared emotion, I gripped her in a tight hug. She returned it with the same strength. Leaning back from our hug, I gave her a warm smile.

"Happy Mother's Day."


	4. My Beautiful Baby Boy

**Story Title:** My Beautiful Baby Boy

 **Author:** PrincessAnastasiaBelikov

 **Background:** Dimitri is getting ready to start high school when he learns that his eldest sister, Karolina, is pregnant. Judgement is high in Baia and Karolina is struggling with what she will do.

* * *

"Slut."

"Whore."

"Tramp."

"Hussy."

"Blood whore."

They were whispering about her again, it was obvious. Though she wasn't showing yet, the pharmacy tech had blabbed to anyone who would listen that Karolina Belikova had purchased a pregnancy test and that two days later purchased prenatal vitamins. Within less than a week the entire town knew that she was pregnant and continued to talk about it any chance they got - and this Sunday, when the entire family was at church, seemed to be the prime time to discuss Karolina and her questionable life choices. It was a little ironic and hypocritical considering that most of Baia was built on Dhampir women who became pregnant out of wedlock. But, it was human nature, and the busybodies wanted to latch on to any piece of gossip they could. And what better than Karolina Belikova, the good religious girl, getting pregnant out of wedlock.

Karolina for the most part held her head high and ignored the comments but Dimitri knew. Dimitri knew, that Karolina for the past week had been crying every night. He knew that she didn't know what she was going to do and that when she told the father he had screamed at her and told her that it wasn't his. He knew that she was guilty and ashamed. He knew she was terrified. He knew how each comment hurt her even more than the one before. Dimitri knew.

"She's a hussy," Dimitri heard one of the old ladies behind them hiss out.

"Well, what did you expect?" Another old lady asked. "Olena was pregnant before she was legal."

"Guess, it runs in the family," the first old lady snottily replied.

Of course in the misogynistic world of Moroi and Dhampir, Olena was blamed for getting pregnant. Though the reality was Randall forcing himself on her, she was still the one who was blamed. And now with Karolina getting pregnant, the Belikov family was once again the talk of the town.

"Such a tramp, but I always knew that," a person off to the side said. Dimitri wanted to turn around and say something back, but he held his tongue. Olena would be disappointed if her son engaged in rude behavior, especially during church.

"She's such a slut, you know she doesn't know who the father is?" A snotty woman said just loudly enough for the Belikov family to hear.

"Of course she doesn't!" An old women hissed out.

The insults came hard and fast throughout the entire service. Dimitri had tried to focus on what was happening in front of him but in reality all he could focus on was the whispers that were directed at his family. His blood boiled, could they not keep their thoughts and judgments to themselves? This was a church, for heavens sake!

To add more insult to injury, the priest's sermon today went on and on about purity. The gift that was meant to be given to a spouse and how in the eyes of God the union was meant to be pure. Yeva's eyes narrowed as she listened to the service, never mind that before Randall left he donated a majority of the money to build the church. And that she taught Sunday school, Olena organized the choir, and every year they ran the food drive. The Belikov's had been very good to this church.

"Mama, I am going to head home, I am a little tired," Karolina said after the service ended.

"Karolina, you should stay," Yeva told her granddaughter. She didn't want people to talk any more than they already were and Karolina heading home without the family would have the busybodies gossiping for days!

"I am not feeling very well, Babushka," Karolina told her grandmother. It wasn't a lie, she really wasn't feeling well. The incense from the service had made her morning sickness act up, and she had tried not to get sick the entire time.

"The smell?" Olena asked her daughter as they made their way outside.

"Yes, I have been trying not to get sick this entire time," she told her mother truthfully. "Not to mention, I am exhausted."

"Used to happen to your mother all the time," Yeva grumbled.

"Do you mind if I leave?" Karolina turned toward her mother.

"Of course not! Take Dimitri with you," Olena told her daughter as she collected her other children. "Perhaps you will be less likely confronted if he is with you." Olena was hoping that with Dimitri, the talk of the town would be less than if Karolina walked home alone. Olena didn't want Karolina going anywhere alone anymore, gossip spread fast in Baia. Because Dimitri was old enough to understand what was happening, he became Karolina's escort practically everywhere.

Sonya was old enough to know that Karolina was pregnant and that it was a disgrace but Viktoria was still too young to understand why everyone was upset. And why all of a sudden her family was the talk of the town. Dimitri hoped she would be in ignorant bliss for a little while longer, but he knew that soon she would realize what was happening.

"Dimka, you okay with that?" Karolina turned to her brother.

"Yeah, lets go," Dimitri nodded at his sister. The two of them made their way back to the house.

Karolina and Dimitri where really close. She was an incredible big sister to him and he adored her, he always had. Karolina similarly adored her baby brother. Ever since he was born she coddled him, and for the first year of his life, Dimitri, wouldn't sleep unless he was next to his big sister.

"Slut," a passer by said loudly as they walked home.

"Tramp," another said as they kept walking.

Dimitri's hands were balled into fists, as each comment came toward them, but he did his best to keep his cool. It wouldn't do to get in a fight, the family didn't need anymore gossip.

Soon, it was just the two of them walking down the street. Dimitri looked over at Karolina and noticed that her eyes seemed to be brimming with tears.

"When's the first doctor's appointment?" Dimitri asked Karolina trying to distract her.

"Umm not for a few days," she told him. "Dimka, I need to tell someone this, but I don't want Mama to know."

"I won't tell Karolina," he said to her. He was curious as to what she was going to say, he was hoping she would tell him who the father was. Dimitri was ready to kill the bastard that got his sister pregnant.

"I don't know if I want to go through with the pregnancy," she said softly.

"Oh!"

"It's just, that I won't be able to finish school and money is already tight," her eyes brimmed. Dimitri could tell that the thought of ending the pregnancy was killing her but she didn't know what else to do. He didn't want her to end her pregnancy, he was really hoping that he could be an uncle. And Karolina would be a great mother, he just knew it.

"It doesn't have to be that way," he told her after a minute. His initial shock wearing off. Mama would be devastated, he thought.

"Yes, it does," she told him, her eyes filled with tears. "You're just a kid, you don't understand."

"I am not just a kid," Dimitri argued. He stopped being a child last year when he beat up his father, he lost his childhood that day. Ever since then he was the man of the house. And he would continue to be the man of the house, he understood a lot more than everyone thought.

"No, you aren't but I think you should be one for a little while longer," she smiled at him and put her arm around him.

The two of them walked the rest of the way in silence. Occasionally hearing the snide comments of the towns people as they went by. But, Dimitri had one thought running through his head, how to make Karolina see that everything would be okay?

* * *

"Mama, you don't understand!" Karolina sobbed out, the two of them were fighting again. Dimitri was listening from the landing on the stairs. This had been an on going fight for a few days now.

Karolina wasn't sure what she wanted to do, and her mother was adamant that she keep the baby. To Olena, it was scandalous to not keep the baby. Unfortunately Karolina felt as if her mother didn't understand what was happening with her. She felt as if Olena didn't understand the snide comments and the struggle of having a baby so young. Because of this, the two had begun to get in regular fights.

"I don't understand Karolina? What do you think I went through when I found out I was pregnant with you?" Olena argued back for the hundredth time. "I had to go through the exact same thing!"

Olena felt for her daughter, she had gone through the same thing when she was pregnant with Karolina. She really did understand the gossip and the judgement better than anyone, but there wasn't much she could do. Karolina was going to be having a baby, and Olena thought that she should just start getting used to the idea. She firmly believed that Karolina should ignore the judgmental and snotty towns people, and live her life. After all, that's what she had done.

"It's not the same anymore!" Karolina said. "I don't think I can go through with this."

"Karolina what are you saying?" Olena asked softly as she sat down at the kitchen table.

It was the first time that Karolina, had told her mother her thought about terminating her pregnancy. She felt as if there was no other option for her. Having the baby would be expensive even if she put it up for adoption, or signed the baby over to an academy, and the last option of keeping the baby was terrifying to Karolina. She wasn't ready to be a mother.

"Karolina, you cannot terminate this pregnancy!" Yeva exclaimed. "I forbid it!" Yeva was the matriarch of the family, it didn't matter that Olena was Karolin's mother. Whatever Yeva said was the law, it would always be that way.

"Babushka, you don't understand!"

"No Karolina!" Yeva said putting her foot down. "Go to your room, your mother and I will discuss what we will do." Yeva sat at the table, her mind wondering to how things had turned out this way. Her granddaughter was such a good girl, she wouldn't be careless and get pregnant. That wasn't like Karolina.

Karolina, ran up the stairs past Dimitri tears streaming down her face. Throwing herself down on her bed, she sobbed. Her life was not turning out the way she thought it would. She was going to be a Guardian like her grandmother and she was going to get out of this little town. Karolina was going to make a name for herself, she was going to go and do great things. Why did her life half to change so drastically? Why did one night turn her life into a disaster?

Unknown to Karolina, Dimitri had tiptoed his way upstairs and watched as his oldest sister cried her eyes out. His heart aching because he wished she wasn't in pain. Things were changing so fast, and he felt fiercely protective for his sister. He wished he could make it all better.

In that moment as Dimitri watch Karolina cry, he decided that he would help her see that good could come from this. And that just because she was pregnant her life wasn't over. He vowed in that moment that he would do everything he could to make his sister happy.

At the same time Dimitri watched his sister, his mother and grandmother sat at the kitchen table. Olena crying remembering her days as a pregnant youth, and Yeva comforting her. The struggle of what Karolina would face was not lost on them both. And they had heavy hearts as they thought of the days to come.

* * *

Dimitri walked around the shop looking at all the toys. He wasn't really sure what to get. Karolina was only a few weeks in and she wouldn't know if she was having a boy or girl for awhile. Trying to find something gender neutral was beginning to become harder than he thought it would. And trying to find something he could afford was a bigger struggle.

"Can I help you finding anything?" The male shop attendant asked as Dimitri looked around. The man had an instant soft spot for the young teen walking around the toy store looking a little lost.

"My sister just found out she's pregnant and I wanted to get something for the baby," Dimitri told the man. Dimitri had caught the train to Novosibirsk so he wouldn't have to deal with all of the gossip in Baia, not to mention he was skipping school.

"There are some nice teddy bears," the shop attendant walked Dimitri over to a shelf with hundreds of teddy bears. Dimitri's eyes widened as he took in the array of the stuffed toys, he didn't know where to start.

"Wow," Dimitri looked around in shock. "I don't know there was so many."

"A lot of people have that reaction," the shop attendant smiled at Dimitri. "This one is really nice," he took down a chocolate brown teddy bear that was about medium sized, and a light pink ribbon was tied around its neck.

"But what if she has a boy?" Dimitri asked looking at the pink ribbon idea around the neck.

"Many little girls get this one, along with many little boys," the man told Dimitri. "It's our most popular."

"Is there one that's still really good but not as popular," Dimitri asked him. "I was hoping to get her something more original."

"We have this one," the shop attendant said as he dug around the shelf for a moment. "Here it is!" He pulled out a darker brown large teddy bear with a dark blue bowtie.

"That's great," Dimitri exclaimed."How much is it?" His enthusiasm wearing off as he realized he might not be able to pay for it.

The shop attendant quoted the price, noting when Dimitri's face fell. "But, let me check if it's on sale," the shop attendant continued as he noticed the young boy in front of him get very discouraged.

"Is that possible?" Dimitri asked as he followed the man to the register.

"Oh yes," the shop attendant told Dimitri. "We are in the process of putting up the sale signs, so it could be." After pretending to look through a book and find the item he was looking for, the shop attendant smiled.

"Is it on sale?"

"Yes it is! Its quite a bit less," the shop attendant lied to Dimitri. The man noticed how much Dimitri wanted the bear, and while for most people he would lead to a less expensive item - he made an exception for the boy. He could tell this was more than an obligatory gift and he wanted to help the young teen.

After paying for the teddy bear, Dimitri was on his way to the train to head back home. He couldn't wait to give Karolina the gift, he just needed to find a good time to do it.

* * *

"I don't know what to do, Dimitri," Karolina told her brother as they sat on her bed a few days later. Dimitri had gotten up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water and noticed the light on in Karolina's bedroom.

"It's going to be okay," he said softly.

"My life wasn't supposed to turn out this way," she sobbed out softly after a moment. "My doctor's appointment was today."

"I didn't know that," Dimitri said.

"Yeah, and they did an ultrasound," Karolina told him her voice shaking from the crying. "I am thirteen weeks, and I saw the baby."

"You saw the baby?" Dimitri asked. He remembered a little bit of what his mother went through when she had Vika, but he was young so he didn't remember the particulars.

"Yeah," she reached to her nightstand and pulled out a black and white photo. "That's the baby," she pointed to a little blob on the photo.

"Wow," Dimitri stared at the photo, taking it from Karolina. "It's so real, and amazing."

"Yeah, its real," she whispered out taking the photo back, tears streaming down her face.

"I have something for you," Dimitri told his sister as he watch her cry. Dimitri raced to his bedroom to grab the teddy bear he had bought a couple days before. Coming back into Karolina's room, Dimitri presented the teddy bear to his sister.

"Oh Dimitri!" Karolina cried as she took in the large dark brown teddy bear with the blue bowtie. "This must have cost a fortune!"

"It's for you and the baby," he told her as he sat down. "You are going to be a great mother Karo."

"You think so?" Karolina sniffled as she hugged the teddy bear to her chest.

"I know so," he told her smiling softly.

"This is too expensive Dimka!" Karolina protested as she cuddled the teddy bear. She was very much taken with the toy but also knew that it probably cost Dimitri all of his savings.

"It was worth it, Karo," Dimitri told his sister. "Are you okay?" He asked her what he knew was a silly question, but he didn't know what else to say.

"I am not going to be a Guardian," she told her brother, sniffling softly. While Karolina didn't really want to be a Guardian, it was the most prestigious career for a Dhampir. And because of that she wanted it more than anything.

"So what if you aren't going to be a Guardian, you could do so much more than that now."

"Like what?" She asked him scoffing a little. All she ever thought of was being a Guardian. That was what Dhampir's did, they were Guardians.

"You could go to university! You could do so many other things," Dimitri told her. "You don't have to stay in this world anymore."

"I never thought of it like that," she said thoughtfully. And in truth she hadn't, getting pregnant could mean bigger and better things for her. Dhampir's rarely got college educations, unless they were Guardians with a charge who was going to school. But really being a Dhampir meant you had two options: be a Guardian or have babies. The later option people forgot about.

"And just because you are pregnant and going to be a mother, doesn't mean your life is going to end," he told her. "Think of this as a new adventure, and I will be here for whatever you need."

"I hope so," Karolina said. "Dimitri, thank you."

"For what?"

"For being an amazing brother, I don't know what I would do with out you," Karolina explained. "I really screwed things up, didn't I?"

"No you didn't."

"It was one night you know, one night and it changed my life," she told Dimitri.

Karolina hadn't told anyone how her pregnancy had happened, but being that she was at St. Basil's it was very possible she could have been dating someone. So no one had really asked questions, they just assumed she had been dating someone. The town on the other hand, thought she had been sleeping around. The thought only continued when she wouldn't say who the father was.

"Things happen for a reason," Dimitri told her.

"You sound like Babushka," she smiled at Dimitri. "She told me the same thing, well after she stopped lecturing me." Karolina giggled.

"You know, just because this didn't happen the way you wanted it to, doesn't mean people aren't happy. Mama is thrilled to have a baby in the house! And I am excited to be an uncle," her brother told her grinning.

"I know," Karolina laughed. "You really think I will be a good mother?"

"I think you will be a great mother," Dimitri grinned. "After all you mothered me."

"You are the best brother, Dimka."

* * *

"I am going to keep the baby," Karolina told her mother the next day. "But I want to contribute to the expenses, I am not a child anymore. And I don't want to be treated like a child anymore, I am an equal now."

Yeva and Olena were sitting at the kitchen table listening to Karolina announcing what she wanted. They both understood what she was saying, and they respected her for it.

"Okay," Yeva said after a moment.

"Really?" Karolina asked stunned.

"Yes, now Dimitri come out from where you are hiding," Yeva said, knowing her grandson was eavesdropping somewhere. Dimitri popped up from behind the kitchen counter.

"So, you are okay with me getting a job, and treating me as an equal?" Karolina asked just to confirm.

"Yes, yes," Yeva said standing up. "There is a job open at a restaurant down the street." Yeva made her way over to her grandson and smacked him upside the head.

"Babushka!" Dimitri cried out.

"You shouldn't eaves drop!" She scolded.

"I am proud of you, Karolina," Olena said to her daughter.

"Thank you Mama," Karolina gushed.

"Now, we will have to go through what the plans are for when you will give birth," Olena said.

"What plans? She will have the baby here," Yeva grumbled. "All Belikov babies have been born at home."

"I was wondering, if I could have the baby at the hospital," Karolina told them as she shifted uncomfortably.

"Oh, well its expensive," Olena told Karolina trying to deter her from that.

"I know, which is why I will save money and pay for all of it!" Karolina told her mother.

"I guess that's alright, but why don't we decided that later," Olena jumped in noticing the look on her mother's face. "Now, we need to make sure you are taking your vitamins, and there is this herbal tea that Babushka makes that will do wonders for your morning sickness, not to mention a few books. We also will need to get a crib, a changing table, a rocking chair -"

"And clothes, I will start knitting clothes," Yeva said as she made her way to the living room. Yeva knitting clothes was her way of showing that she approved.

* * *

"Just a couple more weeks, but it can happen any day now," the doctor told Karolina. She was in the process of going through another check-up.

"Anything I need to know?" Karolina asked as she started gathering her stuff.

"Nothing we haven't already talked about," the doctor smiled at her. "But if you have anymore questions, give us a call."

"Thank you," Karolina said as the doctor made his way out of the room. Shortly after, she had gathered her stuff and made her way out to the waiting room.

Karolina was heavily pregnant now, and very much at that stage where she wanted the baby out. There wasn't much more room for the baby to grow and she was uncomfortable. Her back hurt and she hadn't seen her feet for months. Not to mention her cravings had gone from strange to stranger the past month. She couldn't wait to eat normal food again, and not be pregnant.

"You ready to go?" Dimitri asked as he stood up from where he was sitting.

"Yeah," Karolina smiled at him. "Thanks for coming with me."

"No problem, everything good?" He asked as they started walking home.

"Yup, the baby could come any day now, but my due date isn't for another two weeks," she told him. "Ugh, I need to pee!"

"Again?" Dimitri asked laughing.

"Hey, you try having ten pounds sitting on your bladder," Karolina grumbled to her brother. "The sooner this baby comes out the better."

"You sure you don't want to find out the sex?" Dimitri asked as they got closer to home.

"I want to be surprised, also I want to surprise everyone with the name," Karolina smiled to herself. "I am excited for the baby."

"You should be," Dimitri helped his heavily pregnant sister up the steps of the house.

"Oh I got pee!" Karolina squealed as she rushed into the house and made a bee line for the bathroom. Lately, it seemed as if Karolina had to pee every half hour. Olena had assured her that it was normal, but she was frustrated.

"How was the doctor?" Olena asked as Dimitri made his way into the kitchen.

"It was fine," Yeva grumbled to Olena. "I told you that already."

"I would rather hear it from the people that were actually there," Olena told her mother as she pulled out loaves of black bread from the oven.

"It was good, the doctor said it would be a couple more weeks but she could go any day now," Dimitri filled in his mother.

"I think she will go in about three or four days," Olena speculated.

Olena used to be the midwife for the town before the hospital was built, she had delivered more babies than most experienced doctors. Not to mention she had a sixth sense for when babies would come.

"Oh I hope so Mama," Karolina said as she came into the room. "I am so ready for the baby to be born."

"It will be born soon," Olena comforted her daughter.

"Yeah, well I haven't had a good nights sleep a month," Karolina grumbled. "My back hurts, I wish I could see my feet, and I wish I didn't have to pee every three minutes."

"Every woman gets to that point," Yeva told her granddaughter.

"You should have heard the women complaining when I was waiting for you," Dimitri said as he ate the fresh bread.

"Yeah, well as a man you will never has to experience this," Karolina groaned out.

"Thank god for that!" Dimitri joked.

"I am going to throw something at your head," his sister told him.

"As long as you don't ruin my pretty face," Dimitri teased. "After all I am the only son."

"Dimka?" Karolina asked sweetly.

"Yeah?"

"Put a sock in it!"

* * *

"Ouch!" Karolina squealed. She had been having back pain all day and so she had opted to stay home instead of going out with the family. While the pain in her back was annoying the sudden tightness in her stomach was what made her squeal. Another pain came and then she felt as if she had peed herself.

"I am home!" Dimitri shouted as he came into the house. He was home for the weekend from St. Basil's.

"In here, Dimka!" Karolina called out to her brother. She needed help to get up stairs to her room so she could change her pants.

"What happened?" Dimitri asked as he found Karolina in the living room, her bottom half completely soaked.

"I think I just peed," she told him. "Can you help me up?" Dimitri was helping his sister up when she clutched him, and groaned out in pain.

"Karo, I think you are in labor," Dimitri stated eyes wide.

"Oh god!" Karolina looked at Dimitri wide eyed. "What do I do?"

"I don't know! Why are you asking me?" Dimitri started to panic. He had know idea what to do! Even though he had been with her every doctor's appointment, like he promised, he had never gone to the birthing classes.

"Oh god! Pain, radiating!" Karolina shirked out. Her entire back was on fire, and the tightness around her stomach felt as if something was being ripped out of her.

"Uh, breathe," Dimitri told her coaching her through breathing he had seen his mother go through with her. Soon the pain had passed. "We probably should get you to the hospital."

"Mama has the car, we would have to walk."

"Maybe we should stay put, I don't know," Dimitri looked a little panicked. "Let's let's stay put, and I will try to call Mama."

"Okay, okay, can you help me upstairs?" She asked. Dimitri helped his sister up the stairs and got her settled in her room. Racing back down, he grabbed the phone and dialed his mother's cell phone number.

"Hello?" Olena answered the phone after a few rings.

"Mama? Karo is in labor! I don't know what to do," Dimitri panicked on the phone.

"Dimka?" His mother asked him confused.

"Yes, Mama! Who else would call you panicking about Karo being in labor?" Dimitri cried out.

"Dimka, calm down! Take a deep breath," Olena told her son. "Focus on Karo, make sure she is comfortable and help her breathe through the contractions. I will be there as soon as I can."

"Okay," Dimitri breathed out. "Okay." He hung up the phone and raced up the stairs. He just needed to keep Karolina comfortable until his mother got there, he could do that.

* * *

"Push!" Olena coached her daughter. Karolina had been in labors for over twenty-four hours, and she was exhausted. She had been pushing for almost an hour now, and she was hoping that the baby would be coming any minute now.

"Oh god," Karolina gasped out as her grip on Dimitri's hand lightened. Dimitri had stayed with her the entire time, and he was pretty sure she almost broke his hand a few times. But he was determined to be there for his sister.

"Almost there Karolina, a few more pushes and the baby will be here," Olena told her daughter. "On the next contraction, I really want you to push as hard as you can."

"I am pushing as hard as I can," Karolina hissed out. "Oh!" She grabbed Dimitri's hand and she squeezed as hard as she could.

"Ouch!" Dimitri hissed out, he was pretty sure that he had heard a crack.

"Shut up Dimitri!" Karolina cried out.

"Good job! On the next one, I want you to breathe through the contraction," Olena coached. "And then the one after that should bring the baby here."

"Okay," Karolina said as she started breathing.

"You are doing such a great job Karo!" Dimitri encouraged. "Soon you will have a beautiful baby!"

"You ready to push again?" His mother asked right as Karolina's contraction ended.

"Yeah," Karolina hissed out as she kept her hold on Dimitri's hand.

"PUSH!"

Karolina pushed as hard as she could. The pain was too much, but it was almost over. She kept on pushing, her grip on Dimitri's hand kept increasing as she kept pushing.

"And done!" Olena announced, taking the baby with her to the bathroom to go clean it up.

"It's done?" She gasped out as she finally let go of Dimitri's hand.

"Yeah, Karo," Dimitri smiled. "You have a baby!"

"Oh I am so tired."

"Well, you just had a baby!" Dimitri grinned at her. "Mama is cleaning up the baby and then will bring it out."

"Here you are," Olena exclaimed. "You have a beautiful baby boy!" She handed her daughter the baby boy. The baby's eyes were open and looking around the room, before settling on its mother.

"Hi baby," Karolina greeted her son. "You are perfect." She held the baby close to her chest, looking down at him. His dark hair was pushed out of his face, and he was looking at his mother in awe. He had long, thick and dark lashes, and adorable chubby cheeks.

"He's a good size, just over ten pounds," Olena told her daughter as she cleaned up everything. "He's beautiful."

"Dimitri do you want to hold him?" Karolina asked her brother who had just been staring in amazement at the baby boy in his sister's arm.

"Uh, yeah," Dimitri stumbled over his words as his sister held out his nephew for him to hold. "Wow."

"He's gorgeous, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he is," Dimitri said looking at the baby who was making faces. "What are you going to name him?"

"Paul, after Bubshuka's brother," she told her brother. "I wanted him to have a family name." Paul Belikov, was Yeva's older brother. They had become Guardians together and fought side by side for years. He had died in battle shortly after Dimitri was born. He was a decorated and respected Guardian.

"Paul," Dimitri said softly before handing the baby back to his sister.

"We will give you some peace, Karo," Olena told her daughter as she ushered Dimitri out the door. "Dimka let's take a look at your hand."

Karolina started at the beautiful baby boy in her arms. Paul yawned and snuggled into his mother's embrace before falling asleep. Karolina watched the sleeping baby in her arms, he was perfect and innocent. And in that moment he became her entire world. She loved him more than she ever thought she could love someone. She felt as if she could kill for the little boy in her arms. Her baby boy. Her beautiful baby boy.

"I love you, Paul," Karolina whispered to her son. "My beautiful baby boy."


	5. Hard Choices

**Story Title:** Hard Choices

 **Author:** overworkedandunderpaid

 **Background:** Janine is invited to a Mother's Day dinner with the Belikov's and reveals to Rose the truth about the distance between them. Post LS.

* * *

Janine Hathaway had never considered herself a great mother. She'd never considered herself a terrible mother either – until the day she met Olena Belikova.

It had been a taxing few days for the Szelsky Guardian. Her Moroi was visiting the royal Court to tend family affairs and Janine found herself lumped carelessly with the other Court Guardians – boring patrols and endless amounts of formal paperwork were not a part of her usual duties. But she held her tongue, did her job, and obediently answered to Hans.

By her third day at Court, Janine was tired and frustrated with the humdrum routine of Court Guardian life. She'd been here before, but only for a few days at a time. Right now, it looked like she would be here indefinitely. She found herself hoping that her Moroi would request her services for something – anything – more interesting than ward patrol.

It was her third day. And somehow, as she reflected later that night, she hadn't yet realized that Rosemarie was at Court as well.

That afternoon she found herself posted on a routine patrol through the grounds. She was listening to her partner grumble about how they'd been "effectively booted down to beat-cops" when they passed a Royal Guard.

Janine had never seen her daughter within a professional capacity. Despite receiving the news that she had fully recovered from her injuries and was assigned to the Royal Guard, the moment she passed Rose in that courtyard was surreal. She looked decidedly professional in her Guardian uniform, and not at all like the spirited hellion Janine was sure she had inadvertently raised.

After her initial confusion subsided, she offered a professional nod of acknowledgment.

Rose didn't seem surprised to see her mother at Court. For the briefest of moments, her professional mask twisted to reveal something bitter seething beneath the surface. Her fists clenched by her sides as she continued to walk, turning her face from her mother in a passive refusal to acknowledge her presence.

Janine's partner prattled on as the Guard passed. Something like a stone settled in her stomach, cold and heavy. For a moment there, seeing Rose look so calm and professional, she'd felt a swell of pride and patted herself on the back, feeling reassured that she hadn't been such a terrible mother after all. Then with one look, Rose had shattered that reassurance and contentment against the stony silence of her passive-aggressive rejection.

She sighed as pain twinged in her left temple, signalling the familiar headache that seemed to come on whenever Rose was involved.

Janine had spent the rest of that day mulling over Rose's cold shoulder. It wasn't like she'd never been on her daughter's bad side before. In fact, she was pretty sure she'd been on that side of Rose for her entire life. Maybe there'd been a few good years there before she'd sent her to the Academy.

A familiar twinge of guilt wriggled in her abdomen.

' _I did what I had to do_ ,' she'd reminded herself sternly. ' _Guardians have to make sacrifices_.'

* * *

"Can you believe she didn't even tell me?" Rose exclaimed, gesturing wildly with her hands. "She always does this! She shows up somewhere she _knows_ I'll be, then pretends she's surprised to see me!"

"Maybe she was surprised," Dimitri answered, thumbing the next page of his book. He desperately wanted to return to his night of quiet reading, but Rose had worked herself up before she'd even gotten home. He assessed her murderous expression and lay down his book with a sigh.

"How could she be? She _knows_ I'm one of Lissa's Guardians. She even sent me a congratulatory email." With a huff caught halfway between disgust and frustration, Rose threw herself onto the couch next to her boyfriend.

"Maybe she's just been caught up in work. We know how that can happen."

" _You_ know how that can happen," she corrected, crossing her arms. "Unlike you and my robot mother, _I_ don't forget my shift ended two hours ago, or forget to tell my daughter that I'll be in the neighbourhood." She paused, shoulders sagging. "You don't know what this is like," she mumbled. "Your mom told you that she was coming."

"Well, she is flying from Russia specifically to see me," he replied, pulling Rose into a hug. Her arms remained tightly crossed over her chest. "I'm sure Janine was just focused on work. You should call her."

Rose laughed harshly. "Why do I have to be the adult?"

"Because you _are_ an adult. And you can forgive your mother just this once."

"I'm always forgiving her," she grumbled.

"Are you?" Dimitri questioned. "Have you ever actually forgiven her? Or are you always just angry with her?"

Rose pulled away, her eyes narrowing. "Okay, listen here Mr. Zen Life Lessons," she jabbed a finger at his chest, "when your mom dumps you at an Academy when your four years old and returns to see you about once a year, you can give me advice on forgiving mine."

Dimitri shrugged. "I'm just saying, I think it's time for you to let it go. You were all for mending your relationship a few months ago."

"Yeah, before she rocked up at Court and totally blanked on the part where _I exist_."

With a sigh and a shake of his head, Dimitri picked up his book. "Okay then, handle it however you want."

"Don't be like that."

"Be like what?"

With a groan of frustration, Rose let her head fall onto Dimitri's shoulder. "Okay," she mumbled. "Just tell me what to do."

With her eyes closed, she didn't catch the victorious smirk that momentarily graced his lips. "Well, you know how it's Mother's day on Sunday?"

* * *

Janine had never celebrated Mother's Day. At least not as a mother. She'd never had the time to acknowledge such a frivolous holiday, and after the first two years at the Academy, Rose hadn't bothered to send her anything, or even call. It hadn't really bothered her.

But this year, someone had clearly remembered that it _was_ Mother's Day, and that she _was_ a Mother.

It just wasn't her daughter.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Guardian Hathaway." The dhampir girl outside her door looked similar to Rose, but her brown hair and eyes were a few shades lighter. She seemed about the same age, but Janine knew by looking at this girl that the years didn't weigh as heavy on her shoulders.

"It's not a problem," she said, dismissing the girl's apology with a wave of her hand. "Can I help you?"

"My name is Viktoria Belikova," the girl answered, offering a charming smile. "I'm Dimitri's sister. My mother, Olena, wanted to invite you to dinner tonight to celebrate Mother's Day. She would have come herself, but we just had a pretty long flight."

Janine controlled her expression carefully. The offer was obviously in good spirit, but she had to wonder if Rose knew about this. It had been two days since they'd run into each other in the courtyard, and she'd heard nothing from her daughter since. It was a display of passivity and self-control she'd never seen from the prickly teen – she was expecting a violent outburst any minute now, and a dinner with Dimitri's family didn't seem like the ideal setting.

"I would love to, but unfortunately I have a shift this evening." The lie came easily – how often had she said these words?

Viktoria nodded in understanding. "Of course. I'll let Rose know, maybe the two of you can do something this afternoon instead? She said she'd be finishing work around three."

Janine felt her eyebrows shoot upwards. "Rose wants me to come?" she blurted.

Viktoria hesitated. "Well, she doesn't necessarily know about the dinner, but she did say she wanted to spend some time with you today."

"In that case, I'll make some calls and see if someone can cover my shift. Thank you for coming by, Viktoria."

As she closed the door, Janine knew she should be feeling grateful – maybe even elated – that Rose wanted to celebrate Mother's Day. All she felt was suspicion, and a hint of disapproval. Why hadn't Rose come to see her instead of sending Viktoria? Why had the invitation come from Olena? If Rose wanted to celebrate Mother's Day, why hadn't she shown any interest in talking over the past two days?

* * *

"Nervous" wasn't a word Janine often ascribed to herself, but there was no other way to describe the sick feeling in her stomach. The dinner was scheduled for six, and she had planned on arriving early. A last minute call from Hans had her sitting in his office until quarter past, going through safety protocols for an outing that Lord Szelsky had planned for the following morning.

Now here she was, hurrying through the front door of the restaurant twenty minutes late. A young Moroi waiter led her to the table where she recognised Rose's back.

"She's probably not coming," Rose was saying bitterly. "She doesn't care about this sort of stuff."

Straightening her back, Janine pulled out the chair opposite her daughter. "Good evening, Rosemarie," she said coolly, raising her eyebrows to indicate that she'd overheard that last comment. She turned to everyone else at the table. "Sorry I'm late, I was caught up with work."

Rose scowled as her mother introduced herself to Olena. The two women couldn't be any more different. Not for the first time, Rose felt a guilty stab of envy.

"I'm so glad you could come," Olena was saying. "Rose has told me so much about you."

"Really?" Janine was so surprised she rocked back in her seat. "I can't imagine what you must think of me."

She was grateful when Olena laughed, waving a hand. "Oh no, it's all been wonderful things, really."

A warmth glowed in her chest and she gave Rose a small smile. Rose was staring at the menu attentively and sinking into her seat, but Janine could see the embarrassment written across her face.

"Well, she obviously hasn't had enough time to get to the bad stuff," she joked half-heartedly. "If you spend more than a day with her, I'm sure she'd have plenty more to say."

"Oh, I think she was with us more than a week!"

Janine froze, hand halfway to the menu. "I'm sorry?" she asked, but her question was drowned out by the waiter announcing the starters.

"I hope you don't mind, we ordered something to snack on while we waited," Viktoria explained.

Janine looked to Rose while the food was placed on the table. "More than a week?" she asked. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised that Rose hadn't told her – they hadn't seen each other in six months.

"Yeah, I stayed at Olena's for a while when I was in Russia last year. That's where Abe found me," Rose answered, her attention now fixed on the garlic bread in front of her. Her flippant tone indicated that she didn't deem this information significant.

"So you know each other quite well, then?" Janine probed.

Rose had her mouth full of bread, so Olena answered. "It was like having another daughter – although I already have too many." Viktoria rolled her eyes, and Olena gave her an affectionate smile.

"How… nice."

"You're lucky I left," Rose joked, swallowing down an impressive mouthful. "Your cooking is incredible."

Janine felt her stomach flip uncomfortably, but she forced a tight smile. There was no reason for her to feel upset about this. Rose had spoken to barely anyone about her time in Russia. Obviously Dimitri's mother was a wonderful woman.

"So how many children do you have, Olena?" Janine asked politely.

"Dimitri is my only son, but I have two other daughters, both with children of their own now," Olena answered, practically glowing with pride. She continued, talking about her children and their accomplishments, even praising Dimitri as he sat there smiling patiently and correcting her when she exaggerated any of his achievements.

The admiring way Rose watched Olena talk wasn't lost on Janine. Her stomach flipped uncomfortably again.

"Mama, I'm sure no one wants to hear about dance awards," Viktoria interrupted. She was blushing as her mother started in on her early childhood accolades.

"Wow, dance. I didn't know they offered that in Russian Academies," Rose commented.

"They don't," Victoria answered. "Mama took me during school holidays because I wanted to go with one of my friends." She made a face. "You know how it is."

Rose's face fell. "Oh. No, I never really did that kind of stuff."

Janine shifted in her seat and started picking at the garlic bread. "You wouldn't have been interested in dance," she commented in a half-hearted attempt to join the conversation. "You were too busy throwing books at your teachers."

"That was one time," Rose protested. Dimitri smiled from his place beside her, but his enjoyment of the moment was quickly seen to by his mother.

"I recall you having some similar issues with school, Dimka, don't pretend you were perfect," Olena jibed.

"Not from such a young age," Dimitri replied. "I went through my rebellious stage in my teens, like everyone else. Rose was a born troublemaker."

Obviously amused, Olena gave her son a sceptical look. "Of course, you were an angel."

"I know, thank you."

Everyone at the table laughed at his response, but Janine felt lost. She wasn't used to the easy banter of family, and it was making her feel out of place and inadequate. She wanted to enjoy tonight, but she was barely holding back the rising tide of jealousy as she watched Rose revel in the company of Dimitri's family.

She knew she hadn't been the greatest mother, but it was difficult to watch her own daughter with a mother she so clearly preferred.

It was Olena that finally turned the conversation back to Janine. "It's so amazing how you went back to being a Guardian after raising Rose," she commented. "After Vika's twelfth birthday I considered it, but I was too out of practice. It must have been difficult for you after so many years."

Janine stiffened, fixing Olena with cold eyes that didn't match her polite smile. "Not really. I never stopped being a Guardian." She had faced judgement for her choices before, many times. "Rose went to the Academy when she was four and _I_ continued to do my duty."

There was an awkward moment as Janine's accusatory statement hung in the air. She hadn't meant to sound so hostile, but watching Olena interact with Rose had left a bitter taste in her mouth. Olena struggled for something to say as Viktoria's eyebrows disappeared under her fringe.

"Yeah, but there's more than one kind of duty, isn't there?" Rose asked, her tone infusing with anger as she spoke. "She chose to actually be a mom, and you picked some Moroi Lord over me."

Dimitri's hand on her shoulder did nothing to stop the words spilling from Rose's lips.

"Most of the time you don't even know where I am. Jesus, for two years you didn't know if I was alive!"

"And whose fault was that?" Janine asked coolly. Rose's words stung, but she wasn't about to lose her head in a public setting. "I thought I raised you better than to run away from your responsibilities."

"Well that's the catch, isn't it?" Rose spat. "You didn't raise me. Some institution did."

Janine cursed her practically translucent skin as the blood rushed to her cheeks. She didn't want to have this conversation with Rose here. She didn't want to have this conversation at all. She knew how Rose felt about it. She knew that most people judged her for the choice she'd made. She knew she might regret it for the rest of her life. But a restaurant on Mother's Day was not the time or place to hash it out. She picked up the menu and scanned it without reading a word.

Another heavy silence fell on their table. From the corner of her eye, Janine could see that Rose wasn't even halfway finished. Before she had the chance to start up again, Janine caught the attention of a waiter and quickly ordered. Everyone at the table quietly followed her example, except for Rose.

"My life would have been better if you were dead."

So matter of fact.

It might have been easier if her voice had been filled with hate. Or any feeling at all.

Janine felt like a hole had been ripped through her chest. The comment wasn't unexpected. She didn't even believe it was undeserved.

No one at the table spoke, but at a glance Janine could see the hardness in Dimitri's eyes. She didn't want the two of them to argue, so she raised a hand.

"Clearly," she managed, although her throat was closing, "this was a mistake." She stood, her eyes burning and blurring with tears. "Have a wonderful night."

Nobody stopped her from storming out of the restaurant. She was sure they were relieved to be without her. Shame clawed in her chest and burned in her face. What an embarrassment she'd made of herself.

Guardian accommodation was only a short walk away, and she moved quickly, hiding from the rising sun in the long shadows the buildings threw. She wasn't in the mood for sunshine.

Her room was on the second floor. It was sparsely furnished and impersonal, besides the single card she'd left carelessly on the bed. It was an old Mother's Day card that Rose had written her first year in the Academy. She'd been fondly reminiscing before Hans had called her to his office. Now it served as slap in the face.

' _You made your choices_ ,' she told herself firmly.

* * *

She had been expecting a text, but she got a knock at the door.

It had only been an hour or so since Janine had left the restaurant, and she resigned herself to the undoubtedly stilted apology Rose was going to offer. She would appreciate the sentiment, but Rose's underlying resentment wasn't going to fade away with that apology. She opened the door.

"I'm sorry, mom."

"I know. Come in."

Rose hesitated but crossed the threshold nonetheless. "You aren't going to give me a lecture are you?"

"Do you think you deserve one?" she asked mildly.

Rose closed the door and scuffed her shoe on the carpet. "I already got one from Dimitri. Honestly, he was nicer about it when he was just my mentor."

"I can imagine. We're a lot more honest with the people we love. Sometimes it means we get angrier with them too, because we always know they're coming back."  
"So… what did you want to say?" Rose asked after a moment. She was far more comfortable with Dimitri's stoic, level-headed style than she was with her mother's. At least she found Dimitri easier to read.

"Come sit down." Janine patted the bed beside her, and Rose made her way over.

Janine opened her wallet, and Rose couldn't help but laugh. Her first school ID photo, aged and faded, glared up at her. Janine smiled as well, and touched the picture gently.

"I was with you that day," she said distractedly, tears shining in her eyes. "You didn't want to smile. You didn't want me to leave you there."

Rose swallowed past the painful lump in her throat and managed a joke. "Mom, you're emoting. Are you high?"

"Don't be rude, Rosemarie." The rebuke was good humored, but there was a snippy note to it that made Rose clamp her mouth shut. She carefully opened the picture slot and eased out another photo from behind the one of Rose.

"Whose that?" Even as she asked the answer was clear to her. The woman in the photo was in Guardian black and whites, her curly red hair tangling around her shoulders like a wild halo of fire.

Janine answered anyway. "My mom."

The woman in the photo wore a serious expression – clearly this was a professional photo – but there was something about her face that made Rose think she was used to smiling.

"She looks nice," Rose said quietly, taking the photo. She'd never known anything about her grandmother.

Janine laughed hoarsely. "Some people thought so."

"Did you?"

"Yes. I idolised her." She hesitated. "When I first met Ibrahim, he reminded me so much of her. You remind me of her."

Rose swiped at a tear threatening to roll down her cheek. She didn't know this woman – she hadn't even considered her existence – but she was overwhelmed with the connection she felt for her.

"We were close. She died," Janine stated. Her voice had taken on an impersonal, distant quality. "It was just a random encounter with a random Strigoi. Happens every day."

Rose tightened her hold on the photo. She didn't need to be told how senseless death could feel. "I'm sorry."

"I was fifteen." Janine continued as though she hadn't heard. "Halfway through my training with no idea of what it really meant to be a Guardian. For a little while, I hated the Moroi for killing her. They were a much easier target for a fifteen year old novice than a Strigoi." She smiled humorlessly. "I moved on. When I met your father, I was nineteen and I had no intention of having kids. You were a surprise. I seriously considered an abortion but Ibrahim convinced me to keep you. He wanted to be involved in your life, but I was young and scared, and Ibrahim was in a dangerous line of work at the time. I didn't want you to know what it was like to lose a parent. We broke up, and I decided you would be better off in an Academy without either of us. That way you would never know how it felt. When I left you at St Vladimirs it broke my heart. I told myself that everything I'd ever done, I'd done for you. I told myself that every day, until you left the Academy. When you came back, I knew I'd done it all wrong. But what right did I have to just put myself back into your life? What right did I have to ask you to forgive me?"

She paused, taking a deep breath. "I never wanted you to know what it was like to lose a mother. I was young and stupid, and I made the decision to focus on my job and distance myself rather than put you through something like that." She turned to Rose, her eyes haunted by regret and guilt. "But maybe I put you through something worse."

Rose shook her head, not trusting her voice.

"You were probably right. You would have been better off if I'd died when you were four, because at least then you would have _had_ a mother."

"I don't want you to be dead," Rose managed. Fear clutched at her heart as she considered it. "I love you."

She didn't hug her mom much, but she did now. She felt on the verge of a breakdown, and all it took to open the floodgates was one sniffle from Janine and Rose found herself sobbing into her shoulder.

"I love you too, Rose. I'm so sorry."


	6. The Closest Thing

**Title:** The Closest Thing

 **Author:** Llaria6

 **Background:** Alberta has a special connection with Rose, but how will she handle the situation when Rose and Lissa go missing from St. Vladimir's? Set immediately before VA Book 1.

* * *

I never wanted to be a mother. It didn't even cross my mind that it was an option. I'd been training to be a guardian since the age of five, and from the moment the promise mark was tattooed on my neck I considered myself married to the job. Admittedly, there may have been a short period during my early thirties when my body clock caused me to view every moroi male on two legs as a potential sperm bank, but the few times I considered skipping the pill before a romantic encounter I couldn't go through with it. The fact was, I could never have a baby. My loyalty was to my job; the moroi I protected and the dhampir guardians I fought alongside. There was no room in my life to love a child.

But then Rose came along.

'Captain Petrov?' There was a knock at my office door and I looked up from my work to see a familiar figure - professional in every aspect from the pressed guardian uniform to the stern, watchful expression.

'Janine? What a surprise! Come in,' I rounded the table to welcome my visitor, clasping her hand in a firm handshake. The two of us had served together briefly at court when Guardian Hathaway first graduated, and even though I was more than ten years her senior we had struck up a lasting friendship. 'What brings you to St. Vladimir's? I thought your charge was based in Turkey?'

Indecision flickered across her face, but when she blinked again the moment was gone and she looked me directly - almost defiantly - in the eye. 'I've accepted a new assignment to Lord Szelsky in Nepal. I hoped you could take care of this for me,' she thrust a wad of paperwork into my hands, and it took every drop of self-control not to let the shock show on my face as I skimmed over the words at the top of the first page.

 _Application for Enrolment_

 _Student: Rosemarie Hathaway_

 _Date of Birth: 03/21/1992_

 _Mother: Janine Hathaway_

 _Father: N/A_

In the six years we'd known one-another she never once mentioned she had a child.

'If Rosemarie is anything like her mother then St. Vladimir's will be very lucky to have her,' I replied quickly, not wanting Janine to think I judged her in any way for her choice to become a parent (or her choice to leave her child behind at such a young age in favour of her career). Ultimately, it was none of my business.

The woman acknowledged my comment with curt nod, and I moved to sit at my desk so I could scan through the rest of the application form. 'I see you haven't listed the father's details. You will need to elect a second person to act as your daughter's next of kin - somebody the school can contact in case of emergency if you are unreachable. Another family member? A lawyer, perhaps?'

'I want you to do it.'

I would have been less shocked if she'd walked right up and punched me in the face. Next of kin? Did she even understand what she was asking of me? If Janine was killed in the line of duty - and let's face it, that was a strong possibility given our line of work - all responsibility for the child would fall to me. I wasn't in a position to become a parent. How could I possibly accept?

My friend didn't give me time to object. 'I've trusted you with my life, Alberta. I trust you with my daughter's life as well.'

'Surely there is somebody else... more suitable,' I winced internally, trying to imagine myself suddenly becoming a mother at the age of forty-one. My main skill-set included killing strigoi, co-ordinating duty rosters and beating cocky junior guardians at pool - not child rearing. I'd never even owned a dog.

'I have no one else,' she said it quietly, eyes dipping to her feet before returning to mine. 'Please.'

Twenty minutes later my signature was on the enrolment form beside Janine's, and we exchanged a slightly awkward hug to seal our agreement. 'I suppose you'd better let me meet her then,' I suggested, feeling strangely nervous. I had killed twenty-eight strigoi in my career as a guardian, but somehow the idea of saying hello to a four year old girl had me quivering in my well-polished boots.

'Actually, you go ahead without me,' the red-haired guardian gathered up her papers from the desk, shuffling them into a neat bundle and tucking them inside an envelope marked _Attn: Headmistress Kirova_. 'I've already explained to Rose why she is here so there's no sense dragging out the farewells.'

She wasn't even going to say goodbye? I couldn't understand how a mother could be so cold and unfeeling... but then I realised the truth. Janine wasn't being unfeeling. She was trying to protect herself against feeling too much.

'Whatever you think is best,' I flashed her a smile of encouragement. 'I'll see that Rose gets settled into her dorm room and give her a tour of the junior campus. Is there anything else I can do for either of you?'

Janine was already inching her way towards the door, trying to mask the cracks in her professional façade. Nothing would make Janine Hathaway cry. Not even giving up her own daughter. 'You've already done more than enough. Thank you Alberta. For everything. Keep me updated with her progress, won't you? I know she'll be in safe hands with you,' she reached the doorway, turning with a final wave. 'I'd love to stay and chat, but Lord Szelsky will be waiting.'

And she was gone.

I stood there - stunned - for nearly a full minute before I remembered that there was somewhere I had to be. Somebody needed me, and for the first time in my life it wasn't directly related to my work.

Making it to the main reception area in record time, I stopped abruptly in the doorway, my heart going out to the little creature in the corner of the waiting room. Janine's daughter was seated on a chair with a tiny suitcase on her lap, her short legs swinging as she looked curiously around her. She had big brown eyes, wild hair, bruises on her knees, and a look on her face that made me want to wrap her in a hug and, at the same time, search her pockets to find out what mischief she might be planning next. She was too young to be alone in the world, I thought, but then my heart skipped a beat. She wasn't alone. I was here now.

Approaching the child carefully, I dropped to a crouch to place us at eye-level. 'Hello Rose. I'm Alberta Petrov - captain of the school guard and a friend of your mommy's. Do you have any questions about your new school?'

Rose stared right back at me. 'When do we learn to fight?' she balled up one fist and shook it in a threatening gesture.

I didn't have the heart to tell her that basic defensive drills weren't taught until the second grade. Instead, I made a big show of inspecting the hand that had been thrust an inch from my nose. 'With technique like this, Novice Hathaway, you will be defeating your instructors in no time,' I assured her.

The child narrowed her eyes, looking me up and down with intense scrutiny. Thankfully, whatever she was searching for, I passed. 'Great. Now, are you going to show me to my room or should I find it myself?'

Cheeky scamp. I liked her already. 'Would Novice Hathaway like a piggy-back to the junior campus?' I enquired, turning to offer her my shoulders.

Rose clambered on eagerly and just like that it dawned on me. There _was_ room in my life to love a child after all.

* * *

'She's done it again, Alberta. I won't let her get away with it this time. It's an embarrassment to her mother, her teachers, our profession.'

' _Who's_ done _what_ again, Guardian Alto?' I steepled my hands under my chin, assuming my best 'attentive listener' pose. Stan was a valued member of staff, but he always had something or someone to gripe about. Students, colleagues, food in the staff cafeteria. He even made an official complaint about the colour of the lane markings on the running track once.

'Who do you think?' the man's ears turned red, a sure sign that his short temper was about to burst. 'Novice Hathaway of course! She's skipped my class again. She's not a child anymore. She's fifteen. In two years she'll be graduating. Can you imagine anybody wanting to take on a guardian who doesn't even bother to show up to work. Preposterous! If you can't keep a better eye on that girl, then I'm taking the matter straight to the headmistress.'

I groaned internally. Ellen Kirova was already looking for an excuse to have Rose punished. Only two days ago we'd received a phone call from an irate Lady Voda, claiming that her son's dorm room had been vandalised and that 'the little Hathaway bitch' should be held accountable for the damages. If Headmistress Kirova got wind of this latest misdemeanour she would likely have Rose suspended. The incident would be another black mark on her permanent record. Janine would have to be notified and that wouldn't turn out well for anybody.

But maybe I could salvage the situation before it got that far. Rose might be a disobedient pain in the ass sometimes, but she was _my_ disobedient pain in the ass, and while it appeared she had broken school rules (yet again), she deserved the chance to tell her side of the story before we came down on her like the Spanish Inquisition.

'Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Stan,' I used the soothing, diplomatic voice I normally reserved for dealing with visiting royals. 'I'll locate her now and find out what happened. Novice Hathaway will provide you with a written apology by the end of the day, and any classwork she's missed will be caught up - in her own time, of course. I'll see to it myself that she gets it done.'

He looked unconvinced so I pulled out the big guns.

'And I will ban Rose from attending any royal social events with Princess Vasilisa until the end of the semester.'

That had him.

'If that's what you recommend,' he huffed, rising to his feet. 'I don't mean to overreact, you understand? I just hate seeing Janine's daughter throw all that talent away. She could be one of the greats, you know.'

'Yes, I understand completely. Thank you again, Stan. I'll take care of the matter immediately,' I ushered him out the door then returned to my desk, already reaching for my phone and dialling the main administration office.

On the first call, I learned that Rose hadn't attended any of her classes during the day or reported to the infirmary. Next, I dialled the novice dormitory - assuming Rose might have returned to her room for some reason - but the matron couldn't recall seeing her. An uncomfortable feeling prickled at the back of my neck and the next two phone calls confirmed my suspicions. Princess Vasilisa hadn't reported to class today either, and there was no record of her booking in to see her regular feeder at lunchtime. The Dragomir princess had been assigned a personal guard, but there was no answer on Guardian Wallace's cell phone. I left a message for him to contact me as soon as possible, then wracked my brain for any other leads.

Gymnasium, cafeteria, library - no Rose or Lissa. As a last resort I checked in with the guards posted at the front gates but they had nothing out of the ordinary to report. It was like the girls had just... disappeared.

Half and hour had passed since I'd been informed of Rose's absence from class and I was no closer to knowing where she or Vasilisa were. I was getting frustrated.

 _This is Guardian Wallace. Please leave a message._

He still wasn't answering? He'd better have a good reason. 'This is Captain Petrov. Call me immediately,' I scowled at the receiver and hung up.

Another five minutes. Still no response.

 _This is Guardian Wallace. Please leave a message._

This time I didn't bother leaving a reply. Something was wrong. My brain kicked up another gear and I hurried out of my office, making for the guardian accommodation building. There was no answer when I rapped on Guardian Wallace's door and I didn't wait to find out if he would come to the second knock. My master key was already in the lock.

'Julian. Guardian Wallace. Are you in here?' I ranged into the room on high alert - expecting to see the man incapacitated on the floor, or perhaps some sign of a struggle - but what I found was more disturbing. Vasilisa's guardian was sitting at his dining table dressed in tracksuit pants and a T-shirt, sedately eating his dinner. He barely even looked up as I entered, continuing to shovel food into his mouth - fork moving mechanically from plate to lips like he was on autopilot.

'Julian!' I barked, properly angry now. 'I've called your work phone three times and you didn't answer. I'm putting you on report for this. Get your uniform and meet me in my office now. Princess Vasilisa is missing. Rose too.'

He blinked up at me and shook his head in confusion. 'But she's in class. I've just been there. She said there were enough guardians on duty and she wouldn't need me for the rest of the night.'

My anger dissipated in a second and I hurried to his side, pulling his chin up roughly so I could examine his eyes. 'No, Julian. The school day is over. The princess hasn't shown up to any of her classes... Here - look at my hand,' I snapped my fingers off to the right and watched the sluggish movement of his gaze with a feeling of growing alarm. Somebody had used compulsion on him. It was rare for a moroi to abuse their magical powers like this, but we all had training in how to resist it - whoever manipulated Julian must have been very powerful, or very desperate.

'It's not possible,' he frowned, rising from the table so hurriedly his chair toppled over backwards onto the floor. 'Get out of my way. I need to secure my charge,' Guardian Wallace pushed past me but I blocked his exit, shoving him back onto the sofa when he resisted me.

'You're not going anywhere until you've seen Dr Olendzki,' I commanded, already getting out my phone to summon her. 'Now, sit down and tell me everything you remember.'

* * *

One hour... No sign of the girls. Dr Olendzki confirmed that Guardian Wallace was still displaying residual effects of being subjected to compulsion magic. The doctor recommended key guardians and staff also be checked for similar signs. I dispatched a small team of guardians to check the ward lines and informed Headmistress Kirova of the situation.

Two hours... Still no sign. Dr Olendzki identified another case of compulsion - one of the guards at the middle school entrance failed to report an unmarked car leaving The Academy soon after dawn. CCTV footage had been erased. My search of Rose and Lissa's dorm rooms revealed that several personal items were missing, leading us to conclude that the girls' disappearance was premeditated (though it was still unclear whether they went by choice or by force). Their cell phones had been left behind.

Five hours... A thorough search of the school grounds turned up no further leads. I assigned Stan and Celeste the task of interviewing Rose and Lissa's closest friends but no useful information came to light. Ellen Kirova attempted to contact Vasilisa's next of kin but due to the late hour Prince Dashkov was not answering his phone. Meanwhile, I sat at my desk calling every human contact I had, trying to catch any trace of the girls in the outside world. Every time the phone rang, my stomach knotted with hope and fear, and every moment the phone _didn't_ ring, that knot continued to tighten until I was on the verge of being physically ill. Two of my students had gone missing on my watch. Not just any students. A moroi princess - the last of her line. And my Rose.

Call after call, lead after useless lead, a lifetime of memories began to cloud my vision. That four-year-old Rose in the waiting room - her little suitcase on her lap; the seven-year-old Rose who claimed she'd lost her two front teeth fighting off a pack of strigoi; publicly reprimanding ten-year-old Rose after she attacked an older moroi student for teasing Lissa during the lunchbreak, and then later - behind closed doors - holding her tightly as hot tears of anger and frustration spilt down to soak the shoulder of my guardian uniform; chasing thirteen-year-old Rose, who'd broken into my apartment on April 1st and covered every piece of furniture in toilet paper; arguing with fifteen-year-old Rose after I discovered an empty Schnapps bottle in her schoolbag, then trying not to loose my cool while she rattled off every excuse under the sun - eventually concluding that her underage drinking was the result of having absent parents.

In all these years I had grown to love Janine Hathaway's daughter as if she were my own, and the haunting possibility of not knowing her at sixteen or twenty-one or thirty, spurred me on through the night - never faltering from my task to find that sweet, brave, cheeky, obnoxious little girl and bring her safely home.

The sun reached its highest point and made its descent towards the western horizon before I realised I had been sitting at my desk for over twelve hours. My stomach felt empty but I was too wound up to eat so I settled for an instant coffee instead and returned to my desk to co-ordinate the next phase of the search effort.

The new school day carried on as usual - most of the students and staff blissfully unaware of the drama unfolding around them. Victor Dashkov arrived at The Academy before lunchtime, offering unlimited financial support to locate the missing girls, and an emergency meeting of senior staff was called to brief all parties of our progress. It was agreed that Headmistress Kirova would contact the Queen to seek out any assistance that might be provided by the Royal Court, and I would place a call to the alchemists.

Queen Tatiana was horrified we had let the Dragomir princess slip from our care, and advised that a cover story for the girls' disappearance be put out to reassure moroi parents that St. Vladimir's Academy was a safe place for their children.

The alchemists gave me the run around until I finally spoke with a Mr Jared Sage. The bastard informed me that our missing students would likely be dead within the week and that two less vampires in the world only made his job easier. I told him exactly what I thought of him and hung up in his ear.

Just when I thought things couldn't get worse, a guardian Jeep arrived at the front gates and headed straight for the infirmary. I rushed there at once, convinced that Rose and the princess had been found, but it wasn't them. It was Sonya Karp. In our urgency to locate the girls no-one had even realised the moroi teacher was missing. Maybe the two cases were connected? I had to talk to her and find out what she knew.

'Ms Karp? Sonya?' I pushed into the emergency treatment room to find the young woman sitting on a hospital gurney, resisting the nurses' attempts to make her lie down. Nobody wanted me here right now but I had to try. For Rose. 'Have you seen Rosemarie Hathaway or Vasilisa Dragomir? Can you tell me what happened?'

She looked across at me with strange, wild eyes that sent a chill of fear through my body. Sonya had a reputation as being a little off-beat - unbalanced maybe - but now she was a complete mess; whimpering and lashing out at the medical personnel who were trying to restrain her.

'Leave, Alberta,' Dr Olendzki called out to me from the group at the bedside, her attention focused on the syringe she was trying to insert into Sonya's arm. 'Let me take care of her. I'll phone you when she's in a condition to talk.'

Sonya knew something - I was sure of it - but I wasn't going to be getting any answers from her today.

* * *

Before I knew it, twenty-four hours had passed. No news. No leads. No sleep. I was dead on my feet, but there still was one more thing I had to do before I could retire for a few hours' rest - the thing I'd been dreading most since the moment I realised the girls were gone.

 _Ring-ring... ring-ring..._

'Hathaway,' the voice was terse and businesslike, just like its owner.

I sat a little taller in my chair, preparing for battle. 'Janine. It's Alberta.'

'What has she done this time?' came the instant reply.

Over the years, Guardian Hathaway had gradually distanced herself from her daughter (apparently seven thousand miles was not far enough), and the only time we seemed to talk was when there was a disciplinary issue that required her attention.

'If Rosemarie has been cutting class again, I swear I'll...'

'She's missing, Janine,' I cut off the building tirade, leaving a gaping silence at the other end of the line. 'She and Princess Vasilisa left The Academy sometime in the last thirty six hours. I believe they went of their own accord, using compulsion to bypass the guardians on duty - possibly with the assistance of another moroi. We've launched a search party and contacted all of the relevant authorities, both at Court and in the human world. There have been no viable leads as yet, but I have my best people on the case. I am leading the investigation and will prepare an updated report every-'

Guardian Hathaway was done listening. 'Those stupid, reckless... What the hell were they thinking? How could you let them...?'

'Please let me finish,' I continued wearily. 'There's one other thing. Classified, do you understand?'

I assumed by her angry silence that she understood.

'One of the search and retrieval teams returned an hour ago with a moroi staff member in their custody. Sonya Karp was in a state of severe mental distress when they brought her in, and has since been placed under sedation. We are still trying to ascertain if there is a link between the two incidents.'

I waited for her to question, argue, scream, blame - anything - but all I got was silence.

'I'm sorry Janine,' I twisted my fingers through my short hair, wishing this nightmare was over. 'I've let Rose down. I've let you down. I'm doing my best to make this right... I assure you we are working around the clock to retrieve both girls, with no expense spared. Is there anything else I can do for you in the meantime? Anything at all?'

When she finally spoke, her voice was strained with repressed emotion. 'It sounds like you're doing everything you can already. Just keep me updated with your progress. I'd better go now. I need to attend to my charge.'

The engaged tone sounding in my ear was as hollow as my own heart and I turned off the office light; dragging myself to my apartment and falling into bed. I thought sleep would come easily but I was wrong. I lay awake for the longest time, and while Janine found the will to hold back her tears, I let mine fall. I couldn't have stopped them if I tried.

* * *

How did that Joni Mitchell song go? _Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got till it's gone._

Well, what I had was gone - Rose had been gone for nearly two years now - and I couldn't help wondering how I'd made it through the first four decades of my life without knowing she existed. Without having a daughter to love. Did the days always seem this long before? Was the food always this bland? Maybe Stan was right after all - somebody needed to fire the cafeteria staff, because everything I ate from that place tasted like soggy cardboard.

Everything had changed since Rose and Vasilisa disappeared. Everything and nothing. The official story fed to the public was that Princess Vasilisa had been offered a position at an elite boarding school in Romania with distant relatives of the Queen. As the princess' future guardian, Rose had also been invited to attend. The only people who knew the truth were the Moroi Council, my loyal team of school guardians and selected members of the teaching staff - and Janine of course, not that she made any direct effort to assist in the search. Conspiracy theories about Rose and Lissa's sudden departure fed the student rumour mill for a while, but eventually school life carried on much as it had before. Social politics, teenage romances, classwork, graduations, feasts, balls. It was all meaningless, but I stood in the background and took up my vigilant watch from the shadows. No other child would be lost from St. Vladimir's Academy while I was in charge. No other parent would be made to suffer the same crushing emptiness that I felt every morning when I woke up and remembered the person I'd once loved was no longer here.

I wasn't usually one to wallow in hopelessness, but when Hans Croft phoned from Guardian HQ and offered me a Bloodmaster ranked guardian from Russia to renew the flagging search and retrieval effort I honestly didn't think there was much chance of success. We'd failed so many times before. We knew the girls weren't dead - that is, they weren't dead three months ago when an alchemist sighted them in Seattle, but they hadn't been seen again since. Still, Guardian Dimitri Belikov came highly recommended and I went over all of the facts of the missing persons' case with him – pretending he wasn't the fifth person assigned to this role.

'I will report back as soon as I have secured the runaways, captain,' he shook my hand, a copy of the case file tucked under one arm.

Cocky much? I thought... but if he was confident he could find the girls then I really shouldn't be complaining. 'Just one warning,' I gripped his hand a moment longer, forcing him to meet my eye. 'Watch out for Rose. The princess has the fangs, but it's the little one who will try to bite you.'

For some reason I found that idea ridiculously funny and my chest restricted painfully with the pressure of laughter that was straining to be free. This must be what it felt like to be crazy. Living on a cocktail of hope and fear and duty until you didn't know from one moment to the next whether you wanted to laugh or cry - even though it was unlikely you'd allow yourself to do either.

Dimitri raised an eyebrow. 'I'll look out for that,' he replied serenely, and, as I watched him step out of my office, a little swooping feeling under my ribcage caught my attention.

I think it was hope.

* * *

My phone was ringing again. Why did people always seem to call when I'd just fallen asleep? I rolled over in bed and fumbled for my cell, sitting up to answer the call.

'Petrov,' I rubbed a hand across my eyes, still trying to drag my brain out of its sleepy stupor.

'Good evening, captain,' the Russian accent was unmistakeable, and I was wide awake in an instant. 'I have secured the Dragomir princess and Novice Hathaway. My team will be boarding a plane from Portland in thirty minutes and we are due to arrive at Saint Vladimir's no later than 8:00pm. Should I contact Headmistress Kirova or would you prefer to inform her yourself?'

What? Was this really happening? I tried to stand up then sat down again very quickly, the sudden rush of adrenaline planting a restless, squirming sensation in my arms and legs. 'Thank you for the call Guardian Belikov. I will notify the headmistress personally. When you arrive on campus please escort both girls to the main administration building and I will meet you there.'

'Very well. See you shortly,' he replied, and the line went dead.

I don't know how long I sat there on the edge of the bed; my limbs like dead weights while my muscles twitched erratically beneath my skin. Rose and Vasilisa had been found! They were coming home! I wanted to scream the news out my window. I wanted to dance, and get drunk, kiss somebody, punch something, and weep until I'd run out of tears. But I didn't do any of those things. I did what every good guardian does when faced with an emotionally compromising situation. I went back to work.

Uniform on, coffee in hand, I nodded to Yuri at the front desk then entered my private office. It seemed smaller somehow - like the hope that had ignited inside me was ballooning out beyond the confines of my body and making me too big for the room. With time to kill and nothing better to do, I set to work tidying up; first clearing the surfaces, then unpacking and repacking drawers and filing cabinets.

'I just heard the good news,' I looked up from where I was knelt on the floor to see Stan Alto's head poking through the doorway. 'Tell Rose I'll still be expecting that letter of apology for cutting class, and if she's ever two years late for class again I'm reporting her to Headmistress Kirova,' he smirked, then headed off down the hallway to his first class of the day.

Did Stan just made a joke? It was terrible. Awful. I wanted to laugh like a hyena.

I was up to the 'T's' in the filing cabinet when the call I'd been waiting for finally came through.

'We've just had word from Guardian Belikov,' Celeste phoned the message through from her guard-post at the front gate. 'They're only a few minutes away.' She sounded as excited as I felt.

T-Z would have to wait. In the next breath I was out of the door, forcing myself not to run on my way to Ellen Kirova's office.

'I was just about to page you,' Ellen looked mildly surprised by my entrance but waved me over to sit in the visitor's chair opposite her. 'I assume you've been informed that Princess Vasilisa and Novice Hathaway have been caught and are on their way here as we speak?' she watched me closely, probably critiquing the dark circles under my eyes and the patches of grey in my hair that seemed to have sprung up overnight.

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

'Just so we're clear, _I_ will be running this meeting,' she announced, in her usual condescending manner. 'I realise that you have co-ordinated the search to find the missing students, and I'm sure you will want to interrogate them both about their whereabouts over the past two years, but as headmistress, I reserve the right to question them first.'

I didn't want to interrogate them. I wanted to look at them. Hold them. Tell them I how glad I was that they were home again. 'I have no plans to interfere with your meeting, headmistress,' I assured her.

She narrowed her eyes. 'I'm only saying this because I am aware of your connection to Janine Hathaway and her daughter. Rosemarie has broken countless school rules - and probably federal laws as well - in running away from The Academy, and I won't have her let off the hook just because she is friendly with the captain of the school guard. Novice Hathaway _must_ be held accountable for her actions. If the evidence is clear and I deem that she be expelled, my decision will be final.'

'Of course,' I dipped my head once more. At this point it didn't matter to me if Rose was expelled or not. I was just glad she was alive and safe. We could worry about the other details later.

The sound of footsteps at the door brought our conversation to a close and I melted across to the back of the room, assuming my guardian posture and watching on with hungry eyes as three figures entered the room. Guardian Belikov came first, holding the door open for Princess Vasilisa. The young royal was taller than I remembered her, and even more beautiful than before - but tired-looking, somehow, and more serious as well.

And then there was Rose.

I could see at a glance that she was older, wiser, harder than she'd been before she left, but there were still traces of the girl I knew and loved. Her dark hair was pulled up in a high ponytail that bobbed with every step as she moved - hair I'd cut every other month since she was four years old. There was that little quirk to her lips that I knew could turn into either a scowl or a smirk, depending on her mood, and my breath caught in my throat when I saw her eyes. They flashed with intelligence and intent, sweeping around the room in search of anything that might be a threat to her charge. She may have only been a novice - and a lapsed one at that - but she carried herself like a guardian, and the sight of her filled me with admiration and pride.

At first I thought she hadn't recognised me from my watching place in the shadows, but when the headmistress' attention was fully engaged in a fawning conversation with Princess Vasilisa, Rose turned her head and looked directly at me.

'Hi,' she gave me a tiny, silent wave as she mouthed the word, an impish expression on her face.

One word, two letters. It was everything I needed to hear.

'Hi,' I mouthed back, dropping my guardian mask for a fraction of a moment to send her a smile that expressed what was on my heart. Disbelief, relief, pride, joy, love.

I was fifty-four years old. I would never really have a daughter of my own. I would never really know what it was like to be a mother. But this? This was the closest thing.


	7. The New Normal

**Story Title:** The New Normal

 **Author:** Gigi256

 **Background:** "Your family wanted me to stay." "You probably should have," he said softly, "You might have been happy there."

* * *

She stopped outside the grocery, trying to remember if there was anything else Olena needed for dinner tonight before she went home. Olena said she had everything, but she debated calling just to be sure. She would be the one that would be running out again if an ingredient was missing. Not that she minded. Honestly, it was the least she could do.

They had let her stay without question. They never asked her to do so, exactly, but it seemed almost expected until her presence just became a part of daily life. Her life started to solidify there, moving away from the Academy, from Court, from everything in America until she spoke Russian more than English. She made friends there and started speaking to them more than those she had grown up with for years before. She never forgot those early friendships and they never forgot her, but they simply grew apart. Lissa was still in her mind, but the connection dimmed over the years. Now she only heard her when she listened for her voice.

The pathway to the Belikov house was well beaten with her footsteps. She'd walked this path so many times over the years, it almost seems like she had been walking it since childhood even though she knew it was crazy. Perhaps it was because her life was divided in two. There was pre- and post-...him.

Though Dimitri wasn't ever present in this new life of her, he also somehow managed to be everywhere. She had never seen him interact with this world, but it seemed like he was growing out of every surface, reaching out to touch her. Maybe that's why she had never left.

"I'm home!" the door creaked and slammed behind her. She knew it was technically impolite, but the jam was stuck. You either slammed the door or you had to push it for a minute to get it closed. Even Olena slammed it every time she went out.

Her house slippers were waiting right inside the door. Initially, they had given her a pair of pink ones with a little white flower on them, perhaps a pair that was meant to go to Sonya before her feet had grown with the pregnancy, but she was happy that she had been able to replace them with a simple black pair. The only defining characteristic was a red bow on the heel. Or...one heel. The other had been pulled off. As she used the remaining bow to pull the fabric over her heel, she didn't have to guess why.

"Hey, Rose! How was work?" Olena spoke from the kitchen, her voice somehow rising above the clanging of pots and pans.

"Just the same. Nothing really changes at the restaurant." Rose had been working at the one of the busy sit down places for years. A family place that didn't need to take reservations, but did guarantee a whole bunch of tips during the dinner rush hour. She worked the day shift today, so while tips were a bit lighter, she did get to enjoy Olena's cooking rather than another _tefteli_. It was one of her favorite dishes, but it got boring on a day to day basis.

"I'm making some _tabaka_ tonight."

Rose practically moaned. She loved Chicken, and Olena's seasoned, pressed, and pan-fried chicken was better than anything she had ever had growing up. She often served it with some buttery brown rice and roasted vegetables too. She insisted that she had hated vegetables before, but it turns out she only hated poorly cooked cafeteria bland vegetables. She'd become a freaking vegetarian if Olena made her every meal. Well, maybe not. She could smell that chicken cooking, after all.

"Let me get out of this uniform and I'll come down to help."

She took the stairs two at a time, hopping over the one that was certain to make her trip if she used it because she swore it was an inch shorter than the others. Once she was safe in the privacy of her room, she stripped the black polo over her head. She wished she didn't smell like food every time she came home, but there were worse things. Still, her uniform could use a good washing. For a moment, all she wanted to do was lay on the bed, but she had promised to help. Olena would probably just have her sit on the stool and keep her company, or at the very worse she'd make her set the table.

Rose _served_ food. She didn't cook it.

"Anyone else coming today?" Rose called over the railing as she made her way back to the kitchen.

"Nope. Karo and her husband are going to enjoy the kids at home tonight, and Sonya has a date. It's just us girls." Olena said it with a smile, but Rose had to suppress a grimace.

Rose preferred to have everyone here. The more people at the dinner table, the more people to keep Yeva from making awkward and sometimes snide comments. It all depended on her mood that day. Liliya, Sonya's daughter, would provide some buffer, but without the others, she would be totally exposed. She missed having Vika around. She had a great guardian position in Portugal right now, but that meant that they never saw her. She started wondering how the others had been able to handle it, before and now.

Rose began setting the table automatically for the three of them and then sat on the stool as soon as she finished, tearing off a piece of that morning's black bread.

"So, Rose, I wanted to talk to you."

The bread suddenly seemed too dry in her mouth.

"It's been almost five years, dear."

The room became quiet except for the sizzle of the chicken in the pan. She wasn't sure if either of them were breathing. Rose couldn't even think, much less breath at this point.

"Just over four and a half," she corrected.

"That's what I mean. Don't you think it's time to..."

"What?" she interrupted a bit too sharply. "To forget him?"

"No. No, of course not. None of us will, but," She sighed and placed her hands on either side of the sink, not looking at Rose. "I want you to be happy and you still seem to be mourning him. He's gone, dear. He's not coming back. You don't have to be gone alongside him."

Rose bit her lip to keep it from trembling. She had this type of conversation once before with Olena – nearly a year ago and it hadn't ended well. Olena didn't shout but Rose did, and Rose had let loose until she had left the house in a storm of anger and didn't come back for a day and a half. Olena hadn't brought it up again.

Until now, apparently.

"I just can't." She had to look up to keep her emotions in check.

There was another silence before Olena broke it with a whisper. "Would you like me to bring you dinner in your room?"

It was a rare offering. Dinner outside of the table was usually left to those who were gravely ill, and perhaps she was. These types of talks brought her back to those first moments when all she wanted to scream and cry when she heard he was dead. Worse than dead. When she wanted to drink away the pain at his funeral.

She nodded and slipped up the stairs, much more somber than she had been ten minutes ago.

Her wish was granted. She was now lying on the bed, but she wasn't able to relax at all. For the first time in a long time, this room didn't feel like hers. Shortly after Dimitri's funeral, when she had decided to stay, they moved her out of Vika's room and into his. Slowly, her stuff had started to overcome his. Her clothes now filled the closet. Pictures of her friends, both here and in America, took over the bureau where Dimitri once kept images of him and Ivan, plus others from his school days. She had stolen her favorite pictures of him, keeping one of the most recent that Olena had and holding it close at her bedside.

Turning to her side to look at him in one of his rare smiles, she wiped away the tears. He was probably smiling at his nephew and niece, but she liked to pretend he was smiling at her. Just another thing she had to pretend. She was always living in some sort of fantasy.

She had kept some of his stuff, though. There was an old jacket in the back of her closet. There was a stack of books near the window that she could now read if she wanted too. She has stared at them for a year before she had the confidence to test her Russian against those and when she saw a few notes of his written in the margins, she nearly cried. Now she has read them more than he probably had. She practically had them memorized.

She also found a stake at one point that he must have used back at school. His initials were even carved into the heel of it. She kept it next to her own in the bedside drawer, though the charmed magic in both had probably left long ago. How disappointed would he be that she had let the charm wear down?

A knock sounded at the door, interrupting her thoughts. Olena came in with a plate laden heavily with everything she loved, including another slice of black bread and butter.

She put it down on the nightstand but didn't leave. Instead, she sat beside her, looking at the same photo Rose had been staring at so intently.

"He was very handsome." Rose nodded in agreement. "And I know he loved you very much. His letters, before everything happened, you could see the change. You changed him. You made him better, happier. That's all I could ever ask for my son."

Rose let out a small choking sob, turning her head into her pillow to drown out the sound of anymore.

Olena placed a hand between her shoulder blades, rubbing gently to soothe her. "I don't want you to forget him. I _never_ want you to forget him. He would never forget you. But I also know that he would want you to be happy. He loved you and he would hate to see you living each day like a ghost, just going through the motions. You deserve more."

Rose lifted her head a little, knowing that Olena was right. Dimitri would be sadder and more disappointed to see her stop living her life than he would be to see her neglect the charm in a stake.

"I'm not saying that you have to do anything, it's up to you. However, there is a young man who works at the grocery who has asked about you more than once. He seems nice. Introducing yourself to him and accepting an evening in his company for dinner or drinks wouldn't mean a lifetime commitment. It would just be the first step. You don't have to see him again if it doesn't feel right. You don't have to see anyone else right now if it doesn't feel right. But, perhaps, it's worth giving happiness a chance."

Rose didn't reply, mostly because she didn't know what to say.

"Well," Olena sighed, "I left you some food. Take all the time you need. I'm always here for you."

The next morning, nothing seemed clearer. A good night's rest had done nothing more than the previous thousands since he had passed. So she ran.

Running was the only way she felt any clarity. Perhaps it was just another way to feel closer to him, or perhaps it was just another way to escape. Even he had taught her to run when her back was against the wall and enemies overwhelmed her. The demons were in her own mind now, but running still seemed to banish them for a little while.

She went back and forth between accepting and disregarding Olena's words. Part of her wanted to go for it, just to say that she did.

 _Perhaps_ , she thought, running harder, _it would satisfy her need to meddle in my life_.

The other part of her wanted to take a chance and see if she could actually do something more than live in this never ending cycle she had found herself in. Seeing the sun rise over the tree tops, she stopped to catch her breath.

 _Maybe it was just time._

Images of every moment they spent together at the Academy played through her mind as she walked home. Each one – no matter how small – was practically memorialized in her thoughts now and she would watch them almost daily, like a movie. Some made her smile while others broke her heart with longing for what was gone, but she clung to what she had, no matter how painful.

The morning dew wasn't dry by the time she reached her home again. Yeva was already rocking in her chair, switching between her book and glaring at her. Occasionally she napped, but most often she rocked in that chair all day until someone sought her counsel.

Olena, however, was already a bundle of energy.

"Oh, Roza! There you are. I have a list for you. I need a few things from the grocery store."

Rose stiffened slightly, knowing that this was more than a simple errand that she was being sent on.

"Remember," Olena whispered as if only the two of them would hear, "you don't have to do anything you don't want to. This is just an opportunity."

"Roza."

Both Rose and Olena froze, caught in the middle of their secret conversation, and turned towards the woman that Dimitri had once called a witch. He meant it as a term of endearment, speaking of his grandmother's ability to see things others could not. While Rose fully acknowledged that special quality, there were times she chose to use the term in less than a polite manner. Never out loud of course.

"Come here, Roza." Rose stepped forward, knowing that when Yeva gave a command it could not be ignored. "You have made some bad choices in the past. Some that have cost you dearly. Some that I had even warned you about. Yes?"

Rose nodded, only partially ashamed. Rose's life was full of bad choices, and many of them came at a great cost that left her in some form of regret – even if she couldn't go back. The worst, however, were when Yeva tried to warn her about a choice, or push her towards something and her own stubbornness won over. She hardly ever came out on the better end of the deal when that happened, and though she never said anything, Yeva's eyes always had that knowing look of disappointment.

"I know you are worried now, child. I also know you will make the right choice."

Whether it was the flurry of emotions that she had been swimming in over the past day or the fact that this was by far the most gentle way Yeva had ever spoken to her, Rose felt her eyes welling up. She looked up, blinking fast to keep the tears away and nodded, unable to speak.

Olena handed her the list as she walked out the door. Looking it over, it was obviously an 'opportunity' as she had said. Nothing on the list was essential, and she was certain that the kitchen was already stocked with a few of the items, but she went anyways.

She walked every aisle twice, wasting as much time as possible before heading over to the check out counter. She didn't have to guess which man Olena had been talking about. There was only one who was anywhere near the proper age range. Dhampir, maybe two years older than her.

As he scanned the third item, he looked up at her.

"Ms. Belikova, right?"

She had tried to correct people the first few months she was here, but many in the town insisted on giving her Dimitri's last name to recognize her tie to him. She had been known by Belikova ever since.

"Yes," she nodded. "Rose."

He smiled. "I see you running past the grocery nearly every day. I'm Erik."

"Nice to meet you." She was trying hard to put something akin to a pleasant tone in her voice, and maybe a smile, but she was worried that she was failing horribly. She was nervous. Scared, even.

"Do you like to run?" Perhaps if she could find some common interest, this would be less awkward. Though he seemed perfectly at ease.

"Oh no." He laughed as if the thought was absurd. "I do like to hike though. Do you?"

"Yeah. But I haven't been in a while. Do you know any good trails around here?"

His grinned excitedly as he wrapped the last of her items up. "I do. I'd love to show you some of them." Then, for the first time since their conversation began, he looked a bit nervous and started rambling. "And perhaps a picnic? I can bring some food, maybe some drinks? The view from this one particular trail I know is beautiful."

This was the moment that she had to decide to either take a step forward or to stay still. He had been the first brave soul to even attempt anything related to romance, so who knew when another person in town would dare to. Especially if word got around that she rejected him. This was a make or break moment.

"That sounds great but..."

She could see his shoulders drop alongside his expression. In that moment, something else came over her.

"But I need to make sure I have the day off work. What day were you thinking?"

"Oh? Oh! Um..." He scrambled around, looking for something and finding nothing. "I have this Tuesday off. Maybe that will work?"

"Just our luck. I happen to have it off too."

He chuckled, and his giddiness almost reminded her of Mason, or even a young Eddie before things became so somber for them. She couldn't help but smile herself.

"Well, Rose, it seems like we have a date."

With a deep breath, she agreed. "It seems so."

They said their goodbyes, exchanging info so that they could make some more plans before the hike, and Rose stepped out to meet the growing daylight. The sun warmed her face, letting her take in the moment. There was some peace in the feeling, but she almost felt like she should apologize for her actions too.

 _There's nobody to apologize too,_ she reminded herself. _He's gone. You're still here. And he would want you to live._

If anything, Dimitri would shirk her apology. He'd smile and tell her some zen words of wisdom. He'd probably tell her something about the freedom of letting go and how it empowered you to do...something. She was never as good at this as he was. Still, she could almost feel him. She knew he would be proud. That's all she ever wanted – to make him proud.

Her walk back was a bit more light and she seemed to notice more around her. People greeted her and she returned their greetings without hesitance. She thought about meeting with Mark and Oksana later, enjoying their company and some time in their garden. She missed them, and Oksana would be giving birth pretty soon. If she didn't go now, she may be visiting a trio rather than a duo. The thought made her laugh. Life moved on, no matter what.

Olena met her at the door, trying not to look too eager for her groceries. When Rose offered the bags over, she continued to shift on her feet while Rose allowed her to stew a few minutes longer.

"So, did you find anything interesting at the store?"

"Lamb is on sale. I didn't know if you wanted me to grab some or not. I'd be happy to run out this evening after work if you do."

"Anything...else?"

"Erik seems nice. We're going to check out some of the hiking trails on Tuesday."

Olena's hand snapped to her mouth, holding back whatever emotions threatened to explode out of her. The small joyful sob still made its way through as she pulled Rose into a tight embrace.

From across the room, Yeva sat in her chair, rocking away.

"Good choice, Roza. I'm proud of you. I'm not the only one."

Their smiles met and she knew for certain: Dimitri would be proud of her. And she was proud of herself, too.


	8. Mother's Day Extravaganza!

**Story Title:** Mother's Day Extravaganza!

 **Author:** NB313

 **Background:** Rose and the gang are in Court together for the first time since the Monarch elections (15 years ago). The men and the kids take the opportunity to put on a show for the special women in their lives – their mums!

* * *

 _ **You are cordially invited to a special Mother's Day High Tea**_

 _ **Where: Council Chambers**_

 _ **When: 14th May 12**_

The simple yet elegant invite was hand-delivered in the early hours of the morning to Rose, Lissa, Jill, Sydney, Mia, Olena, Daniella, Sonya and Janine.

Today was Mother's Day and for the first time in 15 years the nine women and their respective families were at Court.

This wasn't a random occurrence – it had taken countless hours of planning and coordinating amongst the men to pull it off. They'd also spent quiet a lot of time with their kids to put together an extraordinary show the mothers would enjoy during the special lunch.

On the dot at 12, the doors opened to the Council Chambers and the nine ladies were instantly bought to a standstill at the sight before them. The chambers had been transformed into a dinner theatre with a large table set-up in the centre facing the stage, where the Council and Queen would normally be seated during public sessions. The table was beautifully decorated and filled with all kinds of foods you would expect at High Tea – various sandwiches, quiches, cakes, cupcakes, slices, even a few fried finger foods. Different coloured teapots and juice jugs were scattered across the table and at each end a bottle of champagne was chilling in a bucket with flutes nearby. Fairy lights were the only lighting in the room so everything looked soft and romantic.

Lissa's Royal guards stationed themselves outside, as per Hans's orders – this was a private event plus there were plenty of Guardians and combat trained Moroi that would protect and defend the Queen.

Rose, Sydney, Janine and Olena were the first to notice the table set-up on the side. As the group of women moved closer to the table, they began to realise its purpose. It wasn't as large as the table they were to sit at, in fact it was a third of the size. Candles were scattered across it and on closer inspection they noted the number of candles had significance – 8 candles next to 8 photo frames. A card sat in the centre of the table, someone's beautiful calligraphy displaying the following words:

 _ **You may not be here in person but you are always in our hearts.**_

 _ **Hope you are enjoying Mother's Day in heaven.**_

 _ **We miss you.**_

As the women took in the photos there wasn't a dry eye in the group. Yeva, Rhea, Moira, Tasha and Tatiana's photos mingled amongst photos of Abe, Janine and Mia's mum. Some of the men were worried about including Tasha, Moira and Tatiana in the memorial, but Abe had convinced them to have a little faith and he had been right. None of the women were offended; if anything, seeing their pictures made them feel grateful for the life they currently had. Regardless of the way they died, the three women had acted motherly to those they loved and it was only right to acknowledge that love on this special day. The women took turns lighting the candles until all 8 were lit.

"Ok ladies, sad moment over. Time to get your kisters into the seats so we can start the show!"

Adrian's loud, booming voice startled a few, including Lissa who actually squealed in surprise. Chuckling at their response, Adrian waited patiently until everyone was seated. Smiling with glee, he gave them a dramatic bow before he continued.

"Thank you, my ladies. Now we – the dads and the kiddies – have a put together a special show for you in honour of Mother's Day! Before I continue and introduce our first performance, let me welcome my co-MC. She's my sister from another mister, please put your hands together for ANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNA".

The women applauded excitedly, with Mia and Rose letting off a wolf whistle or two.

Anna walked onto the stage with the same flare and charm as her half-brother – blowing kisses and waving.

"Oh you're all too kind! Thank you…thank you…thank you…and here I thought I would actually have to do something to get this kind of reaction. It seems, big brother, I have natural talent where as you need to work for your applauses".

Adrian looked at Anna with mock anger before a devious expression graced his face.

"Let's make a bet, little sister. I bet you I will have our audience's love and devotion by the end of the night. So don't take it too hard when I beat you with what I was born with...".

Anna snorted in disgust.

"Fine, I accept your bet. The loser is the winner's slave for the day and has to do whatever they want… within reason of course".

She added the last part quickly, having seen her brother's eyes gleam with evil intent.

"And you can't use your powers! Lissa and Sonya will keep an eye on you to make sure you don't 'accidently' use Spirit to mesmerise our audience into loving you..."

This time Adrian's face displayed mock hurt.

"How rude! I'm offended you would think so little of me! I would never cheat! Especially when a bet is involved…"

At this blatantly false statement Sydney choked on the green tea she had been sipping whilst listening to the banter. She had it on good authority how manipulative and devious Adrian Ivashkov could be when it came to winning bets!

The siblings turned as one towards the audience and Adrian looked like he was going to jump off the stage to help his 'wife in distress'. In a comical manner, Anna pulled his arms back just as Adrian pretended to leap off the stage yelling "SYDNEY!"

"I think she is ok big brother…just couldn't swallow your bullshit!"

A few shocked gasps reverberated amongst the audience though Rose, Mia and Jill cracked up laughing – seeing a 12 year old curse on stage when her parents were nearby was too funny!

"Little sister! Language! There are little kiddies in the back, don't forget...have to keep things PG here…and what would mama and Papa Hans say? Now enough of this…we best start the show, before you sully this good stage with your loose tongue!"

Anna's only response was an eye roll that made Rose proud.

"Alright everyone, please give a warm welcome to our first act: The Tanner duo, Mikhail and Dominic!"

The audience cheered loudly with a few 'awws' thrown in, when Mikhail and his 5 year old son, Dominic, walked onto the stage. The little boy was a bit shy and kept hiding behind his dad's leg.

"Mummy loves you sweetie!" shouted an excited and slightly emotional Sonya, hoping her words would encourage her son.

It wasn't until Rose stood up and started chanting "Dom! Dom! Dom!" that the sweet, cheeky little man finally came forward and stood just that bit more confidently. Both father and son were wearing matching outfits – dress slacks with a white coloured shirt and a dark blue tie. Mikhail explained what they were about to do.

"Dom and I wrote a little poem together for Sonya. It's titled 'Mummy'. We hope you like it".

He picked up Dom in his arms and held the mic before him. Whispering in his ears he recited each line, letting Dominic parrot his words.

 _"Mummy you are so pretty…_

 _Mummy you cook me yummy things…_

 _Mummy you make me feel better when I feel bad…_

 _Mummy you chase the monsters away!_

 _You are the bestest mummy in the world – I love you!"_

Everyone in the audience 'awwed' and 'coooed' at Dom's cuteness and a few, including Sonya, were in tears. Mikhail moved the mic back to himself to finish off the remainder of the poem.

 _"You are a selfless mummy who puts her family first and herself last…_

 _You are a super mummy because you can do anything and be everywhere at once…_

 _You are a wonderful mummy who showers her children with unconditional love…_

 _You are a brave mummy and nothing scares you – whether it be vaccination shots or stinky poo!_

 _I can't think of anyone else being a mummy to my children – we love you so much!"_

Sonya could no long remain in her seat and practically leapt over the table to jump on to the stage to hug her two special men. It was a touching scene and a beautiful start to the show. Adrian walked out by himself, applauding – letting the audience know to keep their applause going and to subtly hint to the Tanners to get off the stage.

"That was a great way to start the show! Give the Tanner boys another round of applause!"

The women agreed and gave the duo a boisterous round of cheering and clapping.

"Ok…ok settle down…need to spread that energy out...eat some more of the sugary goodness to help keep you going…I'm looking at you Sage! You've already won the hearts of your men – no need to worry about your figures today!"

The response was not what Adrian had expected. "Boos" and a loud Rose shouting "Get off the stage…we want Anna!" caused Adrian to falter and almost doubt himself.

"Et tu little Dhampir? Fine...fine…I can take a hint…let me at least introduce the next act before you run me off the stage…I'm sure YOU will enjoy it the most…So without further ado…please welcome my gigantic Russian cousin Dimitri, my beautiful Goddaughter Christina and the ever dashing Ivan!"

The three Belikovs walked out onto the stage to a loud reception of applause and cheering – their mums, Olena and Rose, giving them standing ovations even before they'd begun.

Dimitri carried out two large training mats in his hands which he set-up in the centre of the stage, while Christina and Ivan stood to the side, waving excitedly at their grandmas, mama and aunts. A short nod from Dimitri signalled to a mysterious source to start the music and no one, least of all Rose, was surprised to hear 80s music blare through the speakers. Olena had sat down by now, but Rose was too excited and remained standing as she watched her little family get ready to perform some martial arts.

As _'Eye of the Tiger'_ began, Dimitri, Christina and Ivan started off with some basic taekwondo as warm up. The song changed to _'I need a hero'_ as the three transitioned to boyevoye sambo, focusing on the punches, kicks, elbow and knee strikes. Rose, Janine and Olena could not have been more proud at the display before them – for a 7 and 5 year old, both mini-Belikovs were naturals!

Ivan moved off the mat, as Christina and Dimitri got into a sparring stance, while _'Danger Zone'_ blasted through the speakers. Showcasing muay thai, the daughter/father duo put on an impressive show. They finished with some classic krav maga take-down moves (Ivan teaming up with Christina to attack their papa) while _'Highway to hell'_ was vibrating through the chambers. Rose was bouncing on her feet – she didn't know what to do. Part of her wanted to jump on the stage and join in on the fun, while another part was overflowing with pride at her children's amazing prowess. She wanted to show everyone (not just those present) what her progeny could do. These were her babies and in her mind they represented the best parts of her. Once the song ended, all three turned to each other and bowed, before turning and bowing to the audience. Rose finally gave in to her urges and literally jumped over the table and onto the stage in a single leap before tackling her family in a big, bear hug.

The audience went nuts, giving the Belikovs a standing ovation.

Anna walked onto the stage, clapping as well.

"What an amazing display! Let's give the Belikovs another round of applause…. Ok, Rose that's enough…let them get off the stage…we have other performances to get through…and keep it PG will you!"

She chastised as she watched Rose practically devour Dimitri on stage with a passionate kiss that was definitely NOT PG while their kids giggled on the side lines. When she realised her words had fallen on deaf ears, Anna cleared her throat over the mic and tried again.

"Earth to Rose – seriously, don't make me get the hose! Down girl! Let Dimitri and the kids make their exit please".

It was Dimitri who had to finally pull away from the kiss, knowing his wonderful wife wouldn't stop on her own. Giving her another quick peck, he and the kids waved to the audience as they walked off. Anna could see Rose contemplating to follow them and blocked her path instantly.

"No missy – back in the chair with you….we still have others waiting to perform so I don't need you to disrupt the flow…now SHOO!"

A grumbling Rose reluctantly walked back to her seat, while the other women laughed at her antics.

"Finally! Ok…let's keep things rolling people….Our next performance is all about street cred and these dudes have the moves to seriously earn them some respect…So give a loud 'holla' to the Castile boys – Eddie and Maaaaaaaaaaaaason!"

The stage went dark and a loud bass sound resembling a heartbeat started pumping through the speakers. A spotlight appeared in one corner of the stage, where Eddie stood in clothes that would have been appropriate for a hip hop video. He started off with some dorky, robot moves, which made Jill and Rose laugh so hard they snorted. Jill had to reign it in – she was 6 months pregnant with their second child and there was a high likelihood for her to pee her pants if she laughed too much!

Another light appeared on the other side of the stage, and an adorable little 6 year old rolled in before standing up with attitude. The beat changed and suddenly it became an intense dance battle. Eddie would go through a complicated sequence of moves before throwing the 'challenge' to Mason, who would respond in kind. The audience were in awe and it had rendered them speechless. It really did feel like they were watching a professional dance off. As the music got faster the moves got harder until finally the duo came together to sync up their actions and performed a 'perfect duet of moves' that could only have been achieved from countless hours of practice!

They finished with a big flourish and the panting pair took a deep bow while grinning wide at their special lady. Knowing she wouldn't be able to make it to them in her current situation, Eddie and Mason went over to Jill to give her a kiss and hug. Jill was overwhelmed with too many emotions – she was laughing, crying and smiling all at the same time. No one could blame her bipolar mood – it was obviously the pregnancy hormones. So when Adrian came back on the stage, he allowed Jill to have her moment, as she showered her family with love and praise.

Thankfully Eddie was mindful of the time, and with a reassuring whisper to Jill, he and Mason headed backstage.

"Who knew Eddie was a chip hop dancer? Wonder if he can rap too? Guess he missed out on a promising hip hop career….Hey, at least make sure you give Jill some private dancing lessons!"

Jill didn't need to read between the lines – she heard Adrian's thoughts loud and clear as he projected them directly to her. Blushing furiously the only response she could give was to shout Adrian's name in reprimand. But Adrian wasn't fazed and grinned at her wickedly. Luckily he was aware of the time and went on to the next performance.

"Next up we have our sweet Helena who has put together an original song that she will now sing in her angelic voice…so enjoy!"

Mia's 7 year old cutie walked on to the stage. Mia's heart clenched painfully – Helena was a spitting image of Ryan and even though they had separated amicably, there were times like this she wished he was here so they could both cheer and support their daughter. Nor did it help that she was missing her mother terribly!

With a shy, tentative smile Helena gently cleared her throat, before beginning a song that was classical in style. Her clear voice carried across the chamber, swelling at the right moments while weaving a dreamy harmony filled with love.

She really did have a heavenly voice and Mia felt more tears run down her cheeks. She knew this innate talent for singing didn't come from her or Ryan – her beautiful daughter sounded just like her grandmother. Mia's mum, Helen, had a sweet, enchanting voice and if she had seriously pursued it, Mia was convinced her mother could have become a great singer. She remembered countless childhood moments when her mum's gentle, soothing voice would take away her cares. Now hearing her voice, or something similar at least, coming from her own daughter was too much.

Rose saw the signs of Mia getting ready to bolt from the table, having clearly been overwhelmed by emotion. Knowing Mia would regret her actions later, Rose pulled her chair closer to Mia's and placed her arm lovingly around her shoulders, keeping her friend firmly in her seat whilst giving her comfort and support. She leant in and whispered.

"I know this is too much for you to handle on your own and that you want to dash out of here, but that would only cause you and Helena more pain. See beyond the hurt you are feeling and enjoy the beautiful performance your little munchkin is giving you".

Mia was grateful for Rose's support and she couldn't help but think back to those few months when she had made Rose and Lissa's life hell for coming back to the academy. Her mother passing away and Spokane were a strange blessing because it bought her to some loyal, genuine, loving people. A round of applause reverberated through the chamber as Helena took a dainty bow before walking off to give her emotional mother a loving kiss and cuddle.

Anna walked onto the stage, wiping away her own tears.

"Damn, Lena…that touched my soul! You are one talented chica! I hope you keep working on that amazing voice of yours and when you become a famous singer, don't forget about us simple folks!"

The audience laughed, eating up her jokes and facial expressions. Daniella still couldn't believe she had given birth to this mini-terror 12 years ago. Anna had been a pleasant accident after a weekend of overindulgence and being at the right place at the right time. Who would have thought Daniella, a Tarus by birth and Ivashkov by marriage, would now be married to a Dhampir! Smiling proudly at how both her children had turned out, Daniella knew deep down her offspring had inherited their charisma from their mother (it sure as hell wasn't from their fathers!). Daniella knew the charisma that was dormant in her was very much expressed and vibrant in theirs and she wouldn't have it any other way. Her daughter pulled her attention back with an excited squeal.

"Now, prepare to be dazzled and wowed as my nephew and niece come on stage and wow the pants off you! Round of applause for Declan and Tanya! Remember folks…don't try this at home – unless Syd is nearby!"

Sydney smiled indulgently at the retort, but her eyes shined with excitement, wondering what her children were about to do on stage.

Declan and Tanya made their way to the centre of the stage, wearing workout clothes similar in style to the Belikovs. Naturally being Dhampir, both were just as well versed in combat as their 2nd cousins, but Sydney knew it wasn't physical combat they were about to demonstrate. Sitting on the edge of her seat, half in excitement, half in motherly concern, she watched as her son and daughter bowed to the audience then towards each other before stepping into 'magical' sparring mode.

Declan, having been the offspring of two Dhampirs infused with Spirit, had discovered he had magic capabilities (like a Moroi). Even though he was only 14, he had already specialised in an element – Earth. Meanwhile, Tanya, being a pure Dhampir, learned her magic skills under the tutorage of her mother. She had been a mini-version of her mother from a young age, eager for knowledge. When she had turned 5, she had insisted to her mother to take her on as an apprentice, so it was no surprise she could hold her own against her older brother, even if she was only 8.

Instrumental music that one could imagine being played in the background as an epic battle unfolded, filtered through the chamber, as Declan took the first shot. The women hadn't noticed the table behind Declan, which was filled with Earth-related material – rocks, dirt, potted plants. That was the unfortunate thing about elemental magic – you had to have the element close to you to wield it. This wasn't a problem for Tanya, who had spells, charms and talismans that carried/worked her magic for her. She was also not stuck with the one element and she used this to her advantage.

As Declan bought forth a tornado of dirt, Tanya counteracted with air, dispersing the dirt within seconds so that it fell on the floor like wayward dust. Next Declan levitated a few of the rocks, juggling them mid-air as he decided the best way to attack his sister. Tanya was ready and as the rocks launched at her, one hard projectile at a time, she deflected them with bubbles. It was strange to see something so hard bouncing off bubbles that looked like they were filled with water.

Declan didn't falter with his final assault and immediately launched the vines from one of the potted plants towards his sister, hoping to ensnare her and thereby removing her ability to caste since she had not reached the stage where she could incant without the use of her hands.

Tanya, who was just as savvy as her mother, knew her brother's final play even before he executed it. Waving her hands around while reciting an old Latin spell, she created a wall of flames that acted like a shield and burned the vines even before they could reach her. So far in the fight, Declan had been offensive and Tanya defensive, but Tanya had enough and wanted to end the battle. With a few more hand movements and muttered words, she pulled out a rope from her belt and let the fire shield infuse into it, turning it into burning lasso. With a quick flick, the short rope elongated to be long enough to wrap around her brother and successfully keep him contained. Declan struggled in the fiery confines without getting burnt, as Tanya had infused the magic in a manner that it only heated his body rather than char his flesh, but no amount of struggling freed him from his prison. Realising she had him beat, he hung his head in defeat, letting her know she won their little battle.

Everyone had been watching with bated breath and when Tanya finally released Declan and the two bowed to each other and then the audience, the women let out a resounding roar of applause and cheer. Daniella and Sydney were on their feet, clapping and shouting like mad women, immensely proud of the two little Ivashkovs on stage. Taking another bow, the two made their way off stage, but not before waving to their father who was returning to announce the next performance. The pride and love shining on Adrian's face could have lit up the Royal Ballroom, as both Lissa and Sonya didn't even need to go into aura vision to see how much his aura was exploding with happiness.

"Another round of applause for my kids everyone! Damn Sage – we make good babies. Wanna make another one?"

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, causing Sydney to blush in embarrassment, Daniella to shake her head in exasperation and the rest of the ladies to cackle with laughter at their expense.

"Hmm….maybe later, ay hun? (He winked to further emphasise his point, causing Sydney to cover her face in shame) …Now we have to get back to the show. Our next performer is a gentle soul, like her mother, but a brilliant dancer – so nothing like her father! Please put your hands together for Miss Catalina Tanner!"

Sonya cheered eagerly, wondering what her eldest child was showcasing for her today.

Catalina may have been a Dhampir but her body was lithe like a Moroi, which made her the perfect candidate to be a dancer. She had seen her first ballet at age 5, when she and her mother had visited her Aunt Emily in Detroit. Emily's dance company had put on Swan Lake and Catalina had fallen in love. And ever since then, she would spend every summer with her Aunty Emily, learning everything there was to learn about ballet. Now at age 11 she was a pro and had won quite a few awards in the human world.

Coming onto the stage, she looked like a beautiful princess ballerina, and all the women awed and fawned over her. It didn't take long for Sonya to recognise the piece to which her daughter was dancing to – it was her favourite piece from Swan Lake – Odette's solo. Sonya watched with rapture as her beautiful daughter leaped, twirled and danced around the stage. It was hard to believe this was a pre-teen – to anyone watching, including the women taking in the show, she looked like a petite, professional ballerina from Russia.

When the final note faded away and the stage fell into darkness, signalling the end of the performance, there was a brief moment of stunned silence. It didn't last long, as Rose, Sonya and even a heavily pregnant Jill jumped up whistling and cheering like mad. The other women got caught up in the excitement and they too stood up and gave Catalina a much deserved ovation. Anna took the opportunity to walk back onto the stage.

"Great one Cati! Wish I had your talents….but alas my lot in life is to be the centre of attention through snarky humour – just like my big brother!"

"HEY!"

Came a shout from somewhere behind the stage – Adrian clearly not amused at his little sisters proclamation, even if it was the truth.

"Calm down Addie…I only say that with love and no ill will…And anyway, I can't hold it against you, when clearly I too love the limelight…" She flicked her hair like she was a model at a photoshoot, causing the ladies in the audience to burst into giggles and laughter.

"Rightee ho…ah you are going to love the next performance. The father/daughter duo will blow you away with their amazing skills. Due to the nature of the performance, the littlies, Eric and Lucas, will come and keep their mummy company instead of being on stage".

Anna hadn't even finished her sentence when the Ozera-Dragomir twins bounded down the stage and fell into their mum and Aunt Rosie's laps. The 4 year olds were the only ones allowed to call her Aunt Rosie – if anyone else, including their father, dared to call her Rosie they'd be facing her fists of fury.

Not only where the lights on stage shut off, but even the fairy lights were turned off for this performance. The only light for the moment coming from the 8 candles on the memorial table. Music filled the chamber and the younger generation of ladies in the audience recognised it as _'Bring me to life'_ by Evanescence. A shirtless, buff Christian came onto the stage, causing Lissa to drool and Rose to whisper "Damn…" Even though she had no romantic inkling towards Christian (in fact she saw him as an annoying brother), Rose couldn't help but appreciate the fine specimen before her. It had been a while since she had seen a shirtless Christian and Rose knew his new physic had come about from countless hours either training with Dimitri or teaching combat to Moroi.

Rose couldn't help but lean into her best friend, briefly forgetting she was speaking to her Queen, as she muttered.

"You just want to ravish that piece of fine ass don't you?"

Normally, Lissa would have scolded Rose on such a crude statement, but she was entranced by the view before her and could only nod her assent. Plus, she couldn't fault her best friend when she was absolutely right in her assessment – right now Lissa DID want to drag Christian away and screw his brains out! Obviously this wasn't the first time she had seen him naked, but seeing him up there on stage, illuminated by the fire that now appeared in his hands as he lit the double staffs, it was almost like seeing him for the first time.

Christian started twirling, throwing and doing crazy tricks with the double staff – it was part dance, part marital arts and it was sexy as hell. It worked perfectly with the music and just as the chorus started, his 7 year old daughter, Rosalia, joined him on the stage carrying two fiery pois. Even though she was still too young to 'officially' specialise, it had become obvious to both Christian and Lissa that their eldest was a daddy's girl and had a strong affinity to fire.

Every single woman in the audience watched with awe, trying to grasp that they were watching a 7 year old girl twirling and dancing with two fiery balls on a chain. They knew she wasn't in any danger, what with her father being nearby and her mother's ability to heal, but it still made them hold their breaths every time she did something dangerous. Her younger brothers bounced with joy on their mother and aunt's lap – super chuffed to see their older sister dance so 'prettily'.

Once the song ended, Christian magically removed the fire from his staffs and the pois Rosalia was carrying. The duo stood together, hand in hand, and bowed to the audience. Lissa almost forgot she had Lucas in her lap as she jumped up to clap and cheer. If it hadn't been for Rose's quick hands, poor little Lucas would have fallen and landed on his cute little tush. Realising immediately what could have happened, Lissa swiftly grabbed Lucas in a comforting hug as she and Rose walked towards the stage, Rose still holding Eric.

Rose didn't need the bond to know Lissa wanted to go to her family and wrap everyone in a big hug. Placing Eric gently next to them Rose backed away, allowing the Ozera-Dragomir clan to have some time to cuddle and exchange words & kisses.

Noticing Adrian and Anna returning to the stage, Rose took her cue to sit back down. Adrian and Anna waited patiently for Christian to lead his family off stage – after all you couldn't exactly order the Queen around!

"Well folks… we have one final performance… saved the best for last we did. We hope you enjoyed our little show today. As you can imagine the kids and daddies put in a lot of sweat, blood, tears and time into making today possible, so we really hope you all had a fantastic time. Now let's announce our final performers…"

Adrian was interrupted by a pretending-to-be-fuming Anna.

"Hang on big brother…we still have the matter of our bet to sort…or are you worried I have you beat?!"

She challenged, one hand on the hip to look imposing. Adrian, not one to back away, puffed out his chest in a silly display of manhood.

"Bring it little sister!"

Huffing in annoyance, Anna faced the audience, smiling sweetly, whilst making eye contact with everyone. She may not have Spirit powers, but she could be just as alluring as her big brother.

"So our wonderful audience, which one of us entertained you the most today – Adrian or moi? Let us know by the loudness and craziness of your applause and cheers".

As she pointed to Adrian, who took it as a cue to strut around the stage like a GQ model, the audience clapped and cheered, the prominent being his own mum Daniella. But when Anna pointed towards herself, the group of women went ballistic, with Sydney and Rose jumping up and down, cheering and wolf whistling. Anna's expression was priceless. She jumped about with glee while Adrian stood there, mouth open in shock and anguish.

"Brutus! Judas! TRAITORS! Even you Jailbait…goodbye cruel women! You have made your choice….Adrian Ivashkov doesn't need to be told twice if he isn't wanted…"

And with sad, puppy eyes Adrian started to walk away but Anna wasn't having it.

"Hang on! You can do your moping later…we still haven't finished our show dufus! Where is your professionalism….honestly! We will hash out the terms of your service later...but now let's introduce our final performers…a powerful duo – you don't want to get on the wrong side of this father/son team – everybody put your hands together for Abe and Darin Mazur!"

When the cheering died down, two spotlights came back on the stage directly above Abe and Darin. They were sitting, slightly facing each other with instruments in their hands. Rose and Janine instantly recognised them, having seen them practice countless hours at home.

Not many knew about Abe's hidden passion and talent – playing the traditional Turkish instrument known as a Kanun. He had picked up the hobby when he was a young boy, spending summers in Turkey with his grandmother. He had a lot rage even back then, and his grandmother had shown him how the wonderful instrument could counter that rage and help him focus his energy. The instrument had helped him through some tough times in his life but because it was counter intuitive to his badass-mobster persona, only the closest knew of his talents.

Of course now there would be people outside his immediate family and personal guards that would know about his musical abilities, but since he had been gradually pulling away from his old life, he no longer cared about what people thought of him. Plus everyone in attendance were either extended family or close friends and if you couldn't be yourself amongst your loved ones then who could you?

Darin had inherited his father's temper while his sister had their mums. Janine's temper was legendary, but few had ever seen Abe loose his cool. When he became angry it was nuclear and this unfortunate trait he had passed down to his son. Recognising a similar need for 'instrumental therapy', Darin was taught the Darbuka instead, Abe figuring they could 'jam' together.

Lissa wondered if Rose felt a slight twinge of jealousy as she watched Abe and Darin. When her parents revealed the surprise pregnancy a year after their wedding, Rose was beyond angry. She wanted to be happy for them, but the fact that they were now together and were about to raise a child like a proper family – something she missed out on – was too much for Rose to handle and it had caused a major falling out. Janine, driven by hormones, was both distraught and angry, but it was Abe's cool headedness that kept the family from fracturing completely. Understanding the animosity behind Rose's rejection, he gave her space. She was still envious of her unknown sibling when Rose rushed to her mother's side as Janine went into labour, but when Rose held Darin in her arms, his innocence removed all of her negative feelings and from that day forward she cherished her baby brother.

Hauntingly beautiful, exotic music filled the air. Rose and Janine had seen the duo practice numerous times, but seeing them on stage in their element was magical. For everyone else it was a shocking revelation – no one would have believed the fierce and powerful Moroi was capable of making such delicate, complex music. They all watched in stunned silence as his 10 year old son joined and the music started to move from something slow and sensual to upbeat and fast. Suddenly, the father and son were competing, seeing who could play their instrument the fastest and with the most gusto. It was truly an amazing performance! When the final notes crashed through the chamber and signalled the end, the two Mazur men were breathless and sweating – they had poured their very souls into that performance.

Every single woman had their mouth open, speechless and unsure how to react. It was Lissa who was able to pull herself together first as she jumped out of her seat – squealing, cheering and applauding like crazy. Rose and Janine soon followed as did everyone else – no doubt about it, that piece deserved a standing ovation from everyone!

Abe and Darin carefully placed their instruments down and took a bow. As they moved forward, everyone else from the previous acts came back onto the stage and they all took another bow as a group.

The audience naturally went ballistic and Hans and Pavel, who had been watching in the shadows, became half worried the Royal guard standing outside would burst through the doors to investigate the loud shouts and cheers coming from the chambers.

All of the families came together after that, mixing and mingling as they complimented the performers and discussed the show. The kids were finally able to dig into the food that had been teasing them all this time – after all they had worked up an appetite!

Lissa nudged Rose and both women silently walked back onto the stage.

Everyone went quiet as the Queen that stood before them and was silently demanding their attention.

"We would like to thank you – our wonderful children and loving partners for putting together such an amazing show. This was the best Mother's Day ever!"

Rose took the mic and looked shyly at her own family, suddenly unsure if she should go ahead with her announcement.

"I was waiting for the perfect moment to make this little announcement, but I can't think of a better setting than now…"

She pulled out a little black and white photo from her pocket. Even though she was too far for people to see, the gang had seen enough sonograms amongst the group to recognise the photo for what it was. Loud cheers and squeals followed, with Dimitri rushing onto the stage and picking up his Roza in an encompassing hug. She whispered the final bit of her news to Dimitri – wanting to share the most important part with her husband first. Dimitri stood there in shock as his mind tried to register what Roza was telling him. He took the photo and squinted while Rose pointed at one part and then another. Janine had seen the gesture and couldn't help but scream at the top of her lungs.

"You are pregnant with TWINS?!"


End file.
